


Empires of the Mind

by hibbleton



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Conspiracy, Mystery, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-29
Updated: 2012-09-29
Packaged: 2017-11-15 06:42:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 94,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/524243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibbleton/pseuds/hibbleton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bella learns her "ability" is more than a quirk, she must work with new friends to thwart the corrupt organization looking to exploit their powers for personal gain. All human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Empires of the Mind**

**_“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind”_ ** **  
Winston Churchill**

**Prologue:**

The street was silent, bathed in the darkness that accompanied the hours just before dawn. The crunch of gravel was the only sign of life as houses aligned side by side sat behind perfectly manicured lawns in absolute stillness.

A flame flickered, cupped behind the hand of the only man awake on this street.  He struggled to block the breeze long enough to light the cigarette held between his lips.  His posture straightened as he took a long drag, eyes scanning for something, unsure as to what—or whom—he was looking for.    He stayed vigilant despite the lack of useful information, searching for anything out of the ordinary or any clue he could take back with him.

He walked slowly, always keeping to the shadows, even though the dark of night was a sufficient cover should any of the residents wake up and look out a window.  It was hours later that another set of footsteps joined his.

“Anything?” a young woman asked him.  Her voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper, but she may as well have been shouting as much as it contrasted with the silence of the past few hours.

He shook his head and sighed, dropping his most recent cigarette to the street and stubbing it out with the toe of his boot.  “Not a fucking peep.”

The young woman looked around, taking in the nondescript uniformity of the standard suburban neighborhood.  “Yeah, I didn’t have any luck either.”

“It’d be a hell of a lot easier if we had more to go on,” he grumbled, cautious not to raise his voice enough to wake any of the neighbors.

“It would, but you know it doesn’t work like that,” she said, trying to placate him.  “He can only track to a general area.   This person is around here somewhere.  There aren’t too many more places to search.  There’s no way someone can hide the fact that they’re telekinetic indefinitely, especially if they’re powerful enough for him to pick up on it without even trying to look.  Whoever it is will slip and we’ll be here to catch it.”

The man scoffed, frustrated and jaded.  A month ago he’d been sent to watch a group of five, to study them and learn their weaknesses so that his bosses could swoop in and take control of the independent faction, and finally bring them into the organization’s fold. 

At least back then he’d known exactly who he was looking for.  However, two weeks ago it was discovered that a sixth person with a unique talent was living nearby, and priorities had shifted.  The organization needed to find their new target before the existing five managed to make connections with the individual.  While he understood the need to make contact first, he couldn’t help but grow bitter with each night that he was required to disappear into the shadows, watching and waiting.  Finding nothing and feeling like a failure meant that their wrath would come down on his head if he wasn’t successful in his hunt.

“We’ll try a different area tomorrow night.  Maybe we’ll move closer to campus.  You know how these things work.  This new person was drawn to this area for a reason… well, five reasons.  Odds are there are more similarities than just being talented.  Whoever this is most likely is around the same age.  I’ve been saying it since the beginning that we should focus on the college campus.  I’d be willing to bet that’s where we’re going to find our target.”

The man nodded, not looking at the young woman.  “Logic,” he scoffed.  “Seems they’ve forgotten all about that. They’re all too dependent on their own powers to acknowledge the obvious.  Tomorrow we’ll start at the dorms.  Classes start in a few days, so whoever this is may have just moved to town for the new semester.”

The sky began to lighten by degrees, and signs of life started to make themselves known.  The two walked to the end of the street before slipping into a car at the corner and driving off into the dawn, heading back to rest so that they could start all over as soon as the sun set.

 

**Chapter 1**

Bella tapped the pen in her hand against the desk, just for something to do.  The fist tucked under her chin was the only thing keeping her head upright as the professor droned on and on.  If his excessively meticulous explanation of the syllabus was any indication, this was going to be a long semester.

She looked around the room to find that she wasn’t the only student struggling to stay awake.  In fact, one guy a few rows over had lost the battle entirely and had happily embraced the concept of the afternoon siesta.  The weather wasn’t helping things, either.  As her gaze turned to the row of windows on the far side of the room, she found herself entranced by the steady fall of rain as it pelted rhythmically against the glass.  Dark clouds had rolled in, making the afternoon look more like early evening,  and Bella started wondering what in the hell she had been thinking by coming back to Washington. 

She had spent the past four years of her undergrad in Florida, taking advantage of her mother’s residency status for the in-state tuition rates.  She was tired, though, of the oppressive heat, hurricane warnings, and those damn love bugs so she decided, as an escape, she’d return to the state where she had spent the final year and a half of high school.

 She clearly didn’t think it through; Bella had simply traded the sporadic Florida downpours for the dreary steady rain of Seattle.  At least in Florida, she only had to deal with the storm for a whopping ten minutes before being treated to hours of sunshine.  Here, it could take days—sometimes weeks—before any evidence was found that the sun even existed.

Maybe she should’ve gone back to Phoenix where it was nice and dry, she thought.

A shuffle of papers brought her out of her thoughts, and Bella noticed that the professor was starting to send more information around, seemingly finished detailing the syllabus.  She took the small pile from the student in front of her, grabbed the top sheet for herself, and handed the rest behind her.  She looked down and quickly scanned the title of the article that he had copied before promptly zoning out again.

She watched with her head resting on her open palm now as her pen rolled back and forth across the surface of her desk.  Though Bella had always tried to be discreet about her unique ability to move things without touching them, she had a bad habit of unthinkingly making small movements. 

Her fingers—spanning the length of the pen—flexed up and down in a rolling motion, but always staying an inch away.  It was subtle; nobody ever thought much of it if they had caught her.  Her hand stayed close enough that should someone see what she was really doing, it could be explained away as having seen the action at a bad angle and it had simply appeared as though she wasn’t touching the pen.  It was a believable lie and worked the few times Bella had been caught; nobody ever thought to question her explanation.  Who would believe otherwise?

A small gasp from the next desk startled her.  She slapped her hand over the pen, immediately halting it in its place.  Bella looked over to see a small girl with short, almost black hair arranged in artful spikes.  Had she been wearing the wrong clothes and no make-up, the girl could’ve easily passed for someone in her early teens, but Bella was sure that they had to be about the same age. 

She was prepared to offer her canned response, but the look on the girl’s face stopped her before she could utter the first word.  Her heart pounded in her chest as a numb feeling washed over her while she pondered the implications.  There was recognition in her neighbor’s eyes, and although there was no reason for Bella to think that the girl could be certain of what she saw, she somehow knew that her standard explanation wouldn’t be blindly accepted. 

Bella turned her head to face forward, looking at the professor but with her attention focused intently on the person next to her.  From the corner of her eye, she could see the figure sitting stone still.  The girl still hadn’t taken her eyes off of Bella, and the longer she gaped, the more unnerved Bella grew.  She wanted to lash out at her, she wanted to ask her what her problem was, and she wanted to remind her that it was impolite to stare, but Bella was too scared of confronting her and finding out that she hadn’t been as discreet as she had thought.  So instead, Bella sat in her seat, unmoving, until the students were dismissed from class.

She noticed that her hands were shaking as she stuffed her things back into her messenger bag, and wondered if she was overreacting.  Bella had always been good with subtlety when she did use her gift, having learned over time how to use smaller motions while concurrently increasing precision.  There was no way that this girl—this stranger—could’ve seen enough in that moment for Bella to have given herself away. 

She turned her head slightly so that she could watch the girl in her peripheral vision as she slipped out of the room.  Bella breathed a sigh of relief that the girl didn’t try to talk to her.  For now, Bella would pretend that nothing had happened.  She would be extra careful in class to make sure that she didn’t slip up again.  And if the girl did try to bring the subject up, Bella would attempt to convince her that she had been seeing things.

Bella stood from her seat and pulled the strap of her messenger bag over her head, settling it on her shoulder.  Grasping at the strap where it crossed her chest, she stepped quietly out the door of the classroom while her eyes darted frantically in every direction, clearly anticipating an ambush.

 Bella found the girl almost immediately, but she hadn’t noticed Bella yet.  She was talking to a guy who was significantly taller than she was, almost comically so, with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes only for her.

“I found her,” the girl whispered loudly.  Bella averted her eyes, unreasonably afraid that the girl would feel the stare and turn her attention to Bella.  She didn’t want the girl to know she was there, and she certainly didn’t want her to know that she was eavesdropping.

“Are you sure?” Bella heard him ask her at a normal volume.

“Absolutely.  She’s here.”  There was an excitement in her voice that in any other context wouldn’t have felt so foreboding.

Bella swallowed thickly, hoping that they weren’t talking about her, but somehow certain that they were.  On shaky legs, she sped to the door and headed outside.  She didn’t care that she was getting wet; her umbrella was gripped useless and unopened in her hand as she rushed to the parking lot.  She just needed to put space between herself and the tiny girl from class.

The drive home was a complete blur; so much so, that Bella couldn’t remember how she got from the parking lot at the university to the parking lot at her apartment complex.   Her head was in a fog, her thoughts incoherent.  She was dazed and unsettled, and nothing made sense to her.

She simultaneously opened her car door and grabbed her bag from the passenger seat, stepping right into a large puddle.

“Shit!” she yelled out as the water immediately soaked through her shoe.  Using that foot to launch herself over the puddle so that she could keep at least one foot dry, she slammed the door behind her and tapped the lock button twice on the fob as she sprinted to the front door.

Bella fumbled with her keys, dropping them in her haste as her hands grew shakier by the minute.  Paranoid, she looked over her shoulder and the feeling of being watched crept up on her.  She saw nothing, not a single person visible in the complex.  Her eyes attempted to focus beyond the tree line that signified the beginning of the woods just past the far edge of the parking lot, but the steady rain limited her range of vision.

Snatching the key ring from the ground and finding the right key, she jammed it into the lock and forcefully swung the front door open causing it to slam into the wall.  She hurried inside, shutting the door behind her quickly and locking the deadbolt. Her eyes trained on the doorknob as if expecting someone to try to burst through at any moment, and she laughed at herself for allowing the paranoia to take over.

Toeing her shoes off, Bella kicked them to the side in the entryway and peeled off her socks, starting with the newly soaked one, and headed into her bedroom.  She dropped her bag onto the desk chair, and made her way to the closet so that she could change into something dry.

The feeling of unease never dissipated from her, so after brushing the tangles from her hair and pulling it into a ponytail, she began to make the rounds to each of the windows in the apartment making sure each one was locked.  The sliding glass door leading to the back patio unnerved her with how much access it gave to her apartment when the blinds were open.  She moved quickly toward the door, checking the locks and tugging at the strings of the vertical blinds to give her some semblance of privacy.  Of everything she was feeling, the impression of being exposed—wide open for all of her secrets to be seen—was the most unsettling.

In the few weeks that Bella had lived in this apartment she had enjoyed the solitude.  For four years she had shared her living space with roommates—first in the dorms, and then in off campus housing.  It was nice not having to dodge someone else’s mess, or have to go to the library to study just so she could have quiet.  Today, though, the silence was stifling.  She felt trapped in her own head as she ran through various scenarios revolving around that girl from class and what her words could have meant.

_I found her._

She had to have been talking about Bella.   It was too much of a coincidence that she would react the way she did and minutes later make that announcement.  _But why was she looking for me?_   Bella thought.  _How did she know who I was?  What did it all mean?_  

_Who the hell am I?_

She tried to make dinner, the act of cooking managing to distract her a little.  She couldn’t eat, though.  Bella forced down a few bites, and the rest of the food was simply pushed around her plate before eventually being dumped in the trash.

She tried to watch TV.  Mindless sitcoms managed to make her laugh a few times, but her attention wasn’t fully on the screen in front of her.

She tried to go to sleep early, but found herself tossing and turning for hours before succumbing to exhaustion.  Even sleep wasn’t restful.  She woke up more times than she could count, covered in a cold sweat and tangled in the sheets as the memories of the nightmares quickly slipped away and left only the feel of fear behind.

The next morning Bella was more exhausted than she had ever been before, and stood in the shower until the water turned cold.  She resolved herself to not worry.  Her imagination was getting the best of her, and although the day before had been strange, nothing that had happened indicated that she should be so afraid.  She didn’t know this girl, and there was no way that the girl could know her.

Though Bella had tried to convince herself that she had nothing to worry about, she couldn’t help but be on the lookout as she walked around campus.  She wouldn’t return to that class until the next day, but being the first week of the semester, Bella had no idea whether or not her schedule would overlap with the girl’s at any other point.  The university was large, but the Masters programs were relatively small, and it wasn’t unusual to see the same faces in multiple classes.

Much to Bella’s relief, the girl wasn’t in either of her Tuesday classes, giving her an extra day to prepare herself for seeing her on Wednesday.

Bella returned to her apartment feeling much lighter than she had just the day before, and managed to actually eat something.  Going through the day without issue had convinced her that she had simply allowed her imagination to take over and make her unnecessarily paranoid.

She had just settled onto the couch with one of her textbooks to read a chapter for class tomorrow when a knock sounded on the door, effectively eliminating all of the calm she’d managed to build throughout the day.

Bella stared at the door for a moment, hoping that her imagination had conjured up the sound.  She didn’t really know many people in the area.  A few of her old classmates from high school were still in school here, but they were barely more than passive acquaintances, and wouldn’t show up at Bella’s doorstep even if they did know where she lived. 

The knock sounded again, and she slowly unfolded herself to stand up and creep to the door.  Her worst fears were confirmed when she looked through the peephole to see the girl from class and the guy she had been speaking to in the hall.

Bella’s breathing accelerated immediately and she stepped back, moving away from the entrance, once again staring at the knob and waiting for someone to try and force their way inside.  Without taking her eyes from the door, she blindly reached for the handle on the small coat closet just inside the narrow hall.  Once it was open, she reached inside to grab the baseball bat that her father insisted she keep close if she was determined to live on her own in a big city.

“Look,” a small voice called through the door.  “We only want to talk.  Please just open the door so that we can talk.”

Bella’s breaths came in short gasps.  She couldn’t figure out how the girl had found her.  It just wasn’t possible.

“You’re scaring her,” Bella heard the guy say softly.  “She’s terrified right now.  Maybe we should leave.”

Bella could hear them talking back and forth, but they were so quiet that she couldn’t make out the words and was too frightened to come any closer to the door to change that.  After a minute the girl spoke again, her voice gentler than before.

“I don’t mean to scare you,” she started softly.  “It’s just… there are some things that I think you should know.  Please… talk to me.”

Against her better judgment, Bella slowly shuffled to the door.  She pressed her hands against the wood as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply in an attempt to calm herself.   Bella unlocked the deadbolt, and slowly twisted the knob to open the door just a crack.

“Isabella,” the girl breathed with a smile.  Bella was momentarily shocked that the girl knew her name, but then remembered that the professor had read off each student’s name at the beginning of class.  She couldn’t recall a single name that had been read, so she found it odd that somebody would have remembered hers, especially when the name was said long before she had drawn attention to herself.

“Bella,” she muttered timidly, correcting the girl who smiled in response.

“I’m Alice,” she said, introducing herself.  “I’m in your—”

“Yeah,” Bella said softly, not needing a reminder of where they’d seen each other before since it was all she had thought about for a full twenty four hours.  “I know.”

“Oh, and this is Jasper,” the girl said, motioning to the guy next to her.  Bella looked up to see him smiling softly at her and she smiled back, slightly uncomfortable.  He seemed nice enough, as did she, and under any other conditions Bella was sure that she’d have been more polite and friendly.  As it was, she was still scared, feeling completely in the dark about some big secret and just waiting for someone to fill her in.  She had a feeling that moment was coming soon.

“Nice to meet you,” Bella said, somewhat hesitantly.  She wasn’t sure how truthful the statement was, but she didn’t want to be rude.  Until she knew what they wanted, she couldn’t afford to give them the benefit of the doubt.

“Can we, um, come in?” Alice asked cautiously.  “I know that you’d probably be more comfortable somewhere more public, but the things we need to talk about are too private.  It’s not really safe to talk about with people around.”

Bella nodded tentatively, thinking about how disappointed her father would be with her for going against her instincts and allowing these two strangers into her apartment, but she needed to find out what was going on and how she was personally involved if she wanted to find any sense of peace again.

She slowly opened the door and moved aside, motioning the two of them in.

Bella sat in the chair as Alice and Jasper sat side by side on the couch.  Silence surrounded them; no one took the initiative to speak first.

Alice finally worked up the nerve and started the conversation. “I saw you in class… and what you can do.”  Bella started to jump in and try to deny, using her standard excuse, but Alice held up a hand to stop her.  “I know what I saw, and I want you to know that you aren’t alone.  You don’t have to hide it from us.”

Bella’s brow furrowed as she attempted to make sense of Alice’s words.  Jasper sat forward, elbows on his knees and hands clasped in front of him, and began to speak.  “What she’s saying is that we’re _unique_ , too.”

Unique.  What a nice, innocuous way to put it.

“How so?” Bella asked, suddenly curious.

Alice happily jumped in to explain.  “Jasper, here, is an empath.  He can feel and manipulate peoples’ emotions.”

Bella looked over at him and he nodded, confirming Alice’s words.  Bella looked back at her and waited for her to continue.

“I can see the future,” she said, the words simple and to the point.

“You’re psychic?” Bella asked, intrigued and a little disbelieving.

“I prefer the term pre-cognitive—psychic sounds too much like I should be burning incense and giving a vague prediction about your love life—but essentially, yes.”

Bella chuckled at Alice’s explanation but didn’t respond.  She had a hundred things running through her mind with no idea where to start, so instead she stayed silent.

“So, you’re telekinetic?” Alice asked as if this was a normal topic of conversation, but Bella didn’t answer right away.  Alice dipped her head down in an attempt to urge Bella to make eye contact before prodding her to speak. “You can move things?”

Bella simply nodded, not used to discussing her ability and still strangely unwilling to verbalize it to another person.

“Um,” she started, trying to figure out how to word her thoughts.  “I overheard you in the hall yesterday.  Since you’re psychic, is that what you meant when you said you found me?  Did you _see_ me?”

Alice shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and Bella watched as Jasper rubbed her back lightly.  “Kind of—that’s what we’re here to talk to you about.”

Bella swallowed thickly.  Alice’s discomfort made her even more nervous.  “Okay?”

Alice launched into her story, barely taking a breath.  “Yeah, so, I did see you, but I didn’t know it was you at first.  My visions tend to be vague initially, especially if I don’t have a familiarity with a person or place.  It’s better when I have a point of reference.  So, I saw you, but I only had a general idea that I would—nothing too specific.  Even your image was fuzzy, so I didn’t immediately recognize you.  I’m sure that now that we’ve spoken you’ll be clearer to me.”

She smiled at Bella as if that information was supposed to make her feel better.  Bella simply nodded and waited for her to continue.

“But really, the only reason I knew to look for you in the first place was because… ” she trailed off, once again uncomfortable as she searched for words.  “We overheard others looking for you.  We knew we had to find you first.”

The way she said the word ‘overheard’ immediately caused goose bumps to erupt on Bella’s skin.  “You overheard someone talking about me?”

“Not really,” she said quietly.  “Ugh, this is all so complicated to explain.”

Jasper, sensing her frustration, took over.  “There are three more people with us.  We all have different abilities.  Through those, we’ve picked up some information that certain people are aware of you and are looking for you.”

Bella’s heart rate increased at the foreboding tone of his voice and was assaulted by nervousness.  She could feel a slight pressure in her chest, an odd sensation she’d never felt before.  She thought she heard Jasper whisper the word ‘interesting’, but when she looked up he had a confused look on his face and he continued his explanation as if nothing had happened.

“We don’t want to scare you any more than you already are, but it’s probably unavoidable.  You need to know this so that you can be on guard, be aware of what’s happening around you.”

“Okay,” Bella said cautiously.  He was right; she was growing more and more frightened by the minute.  “Please, just tell me.  Whatever it is, just tell me and get it over with.”

He nodded in understanding, and Alice spoke up before he continued.  “There are certain people out there who like to find people like us and use us to their advantage.  Somehow they found out about you, and consider you to be extremely valuable.  They haven’t figured out exactly who you are yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

The fear was amplified at Alice’s words, and Bella was sure that her heart would beat right out of her chest.  She felt a small amount of pressure against her chest, just enough to be a nuisance.  She looked up to see an intense look of concentration on Jasper’s face.  As his focus increased, she noticed the pressure growing to the point of extreme discomfort.  It felt as if Jasper was pushing against her with all of his strength, even though he was across the room.  Instinctively, her whole body went on guard, producing an equal but outward pressure in an attempt to deflect the invading force.

Immediately, Jasper slumped forward, rubbing at his own chest as if trying to will away an ache or pain and panting shakily.  “Fuck,” he muttered as he took steadying breaths.  Alice looked at him, stunned, while Bella just furrowed her brow in confusion.  She didn’t understand Jasper’s reaction or her own, and couldn’t begin to comprehend what had caused either response.  All she knew was that what she had felt was completely new and unlike anything she had ever experienced before.  For a few moments they composed themselves, sitting in contemplative silence while they each considered the strange event that had just passed, trying to make sense of it.

“I can’t tell you not to be scared,” Jasper said, breaking the silence.  His mind was still reeling over what he had experienced.  In all the time he’d been able to consciously manipulate others’ emotions, he’d never had anything like that happen before.  He had tried to calm Bella down but she had repelled his attempts, her true emotions somehow magnifying in the process.  He wanted to keep testing this, intrigued that he could read her emotions but not affect them, but to do that they needed to gain her trust. “We’re here because we want to help you.  We need to stick together so that the few people who know about us can’t take advantage of what we’re capable of doing.  I’m not sure how you managed to stay off their radar for so long, but it’s not safe for you to be on your own anymore.”

Bella stared at the floor as she listened to his words.  As if they were tag-teaming, Alice continued.  “These people, they have surrounded themselves with some rather talented individuals.  That, I’m sure, is how they’ve become aware of you and your ability.  We want you to stick with us—we want to keep you safe.  We’ve dealt with them before and are pretty good at staying a few steps ahead of them.  Please say that you’ll come with us.”

Bella looked between the two of them as they watched in anticipation of her answer.  “Come with you where?”

“We share a house with the other three,” Jasper answered.  “There’s plenty of room, and we can work with you to see what all you can do.  I think you’ll find that when people like us are together, our abilities tend to work in tandem and grow, intensify.  We can test each other and find out how far we can push our abilities.  Clearly, you must already be pretty powerful if they’re looking for you, so I can’t wait to see what you can do once you really try.”

Bella was a little taken aback by this bit of information as well as the awe in his voice, but this was insane; things like this just didn’t happen.  It wasn’t reality.  “Wait, I just met you two and you’re asking me to give up my apartment that I’ve just moved into to go live with strangers?  All the while, I’m supposed to prepare to defend myself against some nameless, faceless villain who wants to use me just because I can move a few things?”

“You don’t have to give up this place,” Alice assured.  “We would just like for you to come with us, to stay close, until we can narrow down the threat and eliminate it.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’m begging you.  I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you and we weren’t around to prevent it.”

Her tone was pleading and sincere, and Bella couldn’t deny that after the little bit of information that she had been given about this ‘threat’, that the idea of surrounding herself with people who knew what was going on sounded like a good idea.  After all, she was completely in the dark about this secret facet of the world, but logic took over.  She didn’t know these people, and she didn’t know how real the threat was or if it even existed.  Though the frightened part of her wanted to take Alice and Jasper up on their offer, she refused to give in.

“No,” she said and watched Alice’s face fall.  Bella lifted a hand to stop Alice from speaking. “This is completely ridiculous.  Absolutely not.  I’m not packing up and going into hiding.”

Bella was resolved and insistent, with no plans to back down.  Alice opened her mouth to respond, to beg Bella to reconsider, but Jasper quieted her with a hand on her shoulder. He spoke before Alice could get a single word out.  “We understand.”  Alice shot him a look that would make lesser men quiver with fear, but he was used to dealing with her and knew how to convince her to ease up when she was becoming too demanding.  “You need time to process all of this… time to think.  We don’t live that far away.  If you change your mind or something happens, or if anything seems out of place, give us a call.  We can be here in just a few minutes.”

Bella nodded, thankful that he seemed to understand.  Alice had even come around to his way of thinking, immediately requesting Bella’s phone and entering her phone number followed by Jasper’s.  They left the apartment after requesting that she not use her ability—especially in public, until they had figured things out—and after saying quiet goodbyes they left Bella in a contemplative silence.

That night Bella had trouble falling asleep again.  She’d been unable to slow her imagination down, constantly revisiting worst case scenarios based on the minimal information she had been given.  The normal creaks and groans that accompanied any apartment—water running through pipes, the air conditioning switching off and on, or the shuffle of feet from her upstairs neighbors—put Bella on edge.  Since the complex was so close to the university’s campus, the vast majority of residents were students.  While they weren’t nearly as loud as the freshmen in the dorms, they tended to keep a later schedule and this meant that Bella could hear cars pulling in and out of the lot until very late at night, especially when the traffic picked up just after two in the morning when the bars closed.  With each slamming door, drunken giggle, and loud conversation she worried, wondering if any of them marked the arrival of the person or people out to find her.

But it wasn’t the doors, giggles, or conversations that should have concerned Bella.  If she’d looked out her window—if her neighbors had been more observant and less intoxicated—the man pacing the edge of the woods on the other side of the parking lot would have stood out amongst it all. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning, Bella woke up physically exhausted but wide awake well before her alarm was set to go off.  Immediately, her imagination picked up right where it had left off the night before, dreaming up scenarios that might happen, though most likely wouldn’t.  She would see Alice again in a few hours, and she was a little nervous at the prospect; she wasn’t sure how to act around her now, after having had a less than normal introduction. 

Her answer came an hour later when her phone chimed, signifying a call from the girl in question.  Bella looked at the name on the screen hesitantly.  She didn’t know if Alice was calling with more information or if she was just being social, but there was only one way to find out.

“Hello?” Bella answered warily.

“Hey, Bella.  It’s me, Alice.” 

Some of the unease washed away at the cheerfulness in Alice’s voice.  Surely this call wasn’t made to bring more disconcerting news.

After initial and slightly awkward small talk, Alice dove into the real reason for her call.

“Anyway, we all talked last night after Jasper and I got home, and agreed that as long as you’re living on your own it’s probably a good idea that we act like strangers in public.  We’re all trying to keep tabs on who might be close to finding you, but things can change in an instant.  They know who _we_ are, and if they aren’t already, they’re going to be watching us to see who we interact with to try and figure out who _you_ are.”

Nervousness crept up on Bella once again, the realization of Alice’s words giving a sense of foreboding.  Bella had assumed that simply not using her gift would be sufficient—she didn’t find herself remarkable enough to stand out among thousands of college students.  After all, Bella knew she was as ordinary as they came: average height and build, plain brown hair with waves that often seemed to have a mind of their own, and unremarkable brown eyes.  She could look in a mirror and not find a single thing that seemed to set her apart.  She had banked on being able to remain invisible in a crowd, but she realized that Alice was correct.  If someone was watching Alice, Jasper, and the rest of their friends, then something as innocent as acknowledging each other would be the equivalent of painting a giant, bright red bull’s eye on Bella’s forehead.  She might as well have a flashing neon sign that said “I’m the telekinetic freak you’re looking for!” with an arrow pointing down at her.  She was now even more wary about seeing Alice in class.  Bella had never been a very good liar, so she was worried about how to convincingly act as though she’d never spoken to Alice without giving herself away.

As Bella considered all of this, Alice continued to speak.  “So today, don’t be offended when I act like I don’t know you.  I don’t _see_ anybody watching the class, but they could change their mind at any time.  Right now it looks like we’ll be safe to hang back afterwards if you want to talk, but I’ll let you know for sure when we get there.”

A few hours later, Bella walked into class to see Alice already sitting in the same seat as she had on Monday.  Their eyes connected and Alice greeted Bella with a quick twitch of her mouth on one side, indicating the start of a smile, but otherwise the two didn’t acknowledge each other.  Even when the professor instructed students to pair off for a short discussion between peers, Alice and Bella found other neighboring students to work with in order to maintain as much distance as possible.

When the class ended, Bella turned her head minutely as she packed up her things, the action so slight that nobody would notice anything out of the ordinary.  Alice moved her head from one side to the other, just one small shake to communicate to Bella that they couldn’t stay to talk.  While Bella was grateful to know that it wasn’t a good time to speak, she was terrified at the knowledge that somebody must be lurking nearby.  As she walked from the class, she nonchalantly attempted to glance at the faces around her in the hall but nobody stood out.  She wasn’t sure what she was expecting to find, but realized that she most likely wouldn’t find the stereotypical villain from the movies watching her every move.  There were no men dressed all in black, hiding behind lockers while malevolently twisting the ends of their moustaches here.

Her eyes darted to the rear view mirror at regular intervals the entire drive home, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.  Though she was certain that she hadn’t been noticed or followed, she couldn’t help but fear that she was wrong.  She was, after all, in new territory and had no idea what she was looking for and had even less of an idea what _they_ were looking for.  She didn’t know what seemingly innocent actions might give her away.

As Bella pulled into the parking space outside her apartment, she heard the chime on her phone indicating a text message.  She fumbled through her bag to find the phone, instantly pressing the buttons to see what Alice had to say.

_Nobody was there, but if we would’ve stayed they would’ve found us.  You’re still safe._

Bella sighed in relief that she had made it out of the building before the threat had appeared, but she couldn’t stop the anxiety from creeping up at the realization of how close they had come to finding her.

Bella stayed inside her apartment that evening, trying to focus on reading for class but failing miserably.  She followed the same pattern day after day: class, home, read, worry.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  More than once, when her imagination and fear got the best of her, she considered calling Alice and asking if the offer to stay with them was still available.  As quickly as the thought came to her, though, Bella dismissed it.  For the moment she had some amount of anonymity, and she wasn’t ready to declare herself to this unknown threat just because she was afraid of being alone in her apartment.

It was two weeks later that the first signs appeared signifying that she wouldn’t remain undetected for much longer.  She had become accustomed to her new routine, and had even managed to find some amount of ‘normal’ in her day.  After pushing past the initial wave of worry that always accompanied stepping out her front door, she walked thoughtlessly to the dumpster at the end of the block of apartments she lived in.  She had spent a good portion of the afternoon cleaning, managing to forget about the stresses of her classes and the unknown.  On her way back, she passed a neighbor that she had seen coming in and out of the apartment just a few doors down from her own.  Bella smiled a hello to the girl, expecting her to keep moving, but the girl surprised her and stopped.

“Hey, you live by me, right?” she asked Bella.

After brief introductions where the girl introduced herself as Holly, she lowered her voice and stepped closer to Bella.  “I just wanted to give you a heads up.  I’ve been trying to warn as many people as I can… there have been a couple of people hanging around at night watching the buildings.”

Bella’s eyes widened in surprise, hoping it was only a coincidence.  “What do you mean?  Is it someone who lives here?”

“I don’t think so,” Holly said, her words punctuated with a shake of the head.  “I haven’t seen them around before, and the few times I’ve noticed them out there they haven’t gone near any of the apartments.  I called management and the police, but so far whoever it is has been gone before anyone showed up to check it out.  So just be careful, okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” Bella muttered as her thoughts rushed in multiple directions.  “Where did you see them? Just so I can keep an eye out, too.”

“They’ve been right over there,” the girl said as she pointed to the tree line not far from the edge of the parking lot, her finger moving back and forth to indicate the entire stretch of land across from the apartments.  “I don’t know if they’re hanging around in other areas too, but that’s where I’ve always seen them.”

“Them?” Bella asked.  “How many?”

Holly looked at Bella and gave her an apologetic smile once she noted the unease that was evident on Bella’s face.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.  It’s probably nothing, just a couple of drunk students.”

“No, no,” Bella rushed to assure her that she didn’t need to feel bad about her reaction to this information.  “It can’t hurt to keep an eye open, right?”

“Right,” Holly said with a more relieved smile.  “Anyway, usually it’s just one person and other times it’s two.  It’s always after dark so I can’t really describe them, but it looks like a guy and a girl based on their build.  Who knows if it’s the same ones every time?”

She shrugged and Bella nodded.  “Well, thanks for letting me know.  I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate it.”  She knew it sounded like a generic response, but she couldn’t have been more truthful.  Bella’s instincts were telling her that these people weren’t just drunk college students wandering out into the wooded area, so the information from her neighbor was invaluable.

Bella faked a smile as she said goodbye and headed back to her apartment.  Though it was still light out, she couldn’t help but peek out her windows every so often to see if anybody was standing over in the area the girl had pointed out.  The sunlight had waned just a little more each time she peeked through the slats of the blind to check its progress, and the closer that it came to full darkness, the more unsettled she grew.  She was paranoid to the point that once the sun had set, she turned off the lights in the bedroom. Her hope was that if somebody was looking at her window they would have a difficult time seeing her without backlighting.

She didn’t see anybody lurking that night nor the next.  It wasn’t until the third night that she could see the shadow of a man across the way, just barely illuminated by the lights of the parking lot.  Her cell phone rang in the same instant that she spotted the distinctive silhouette, and between the two shocks she simultaneously jumped and stopped breathing.

She slowly backed away from the window but didn’t move toward the phone.  The ability to make a logical decision on anything eluded her, and she couldn’t figure out what to do next.  The phone stopped ringing only to start again seconds later.  It took a few moments, but Bella eventually snapped out of the daze she was in and scrambled for her cell.  Before she could say a word, Alice’s voice called frantically through the line.

“Bella, what’s going on?  What just happened?”

“I—Alice, I—” Bella continued to stutter, unable to form words.

“Bella, you have to speak to me, are you all right?” Alice’s voice was full of concern, clearly worried about what changes had just taken place.  “It all happened so fast, I haven’t been able to make any sense of it yet.  Bella, please, talk to me.”

Bella backed herself into a corner, the feel of the wall behind her giving her the illusion of protection as she sat down on the carpet and clutched the phone to her ear.

“There’s somebody outside, Alice,” she whispered, afraid to speak too loudly.  “There’s a man by my apartment, over by the trees.  My neighbor has seen him there before… she said he’s been coming for weeks.  Him… and a… a girl.  Alice, what do I do?  I’m scared.”

“You’re okay,” Alice consoled.  “Hang on a second, all right?  You’re okay right now, so don’t freak out.”

Bella nodded, not thinking about the fact that nonverbal responses didn’t carry through the phone.  She could hear muffled voices as Alice repeated what Bella had told her.

There was a small shuffling noise before a familiar southern drawl sounded through the line.  “Bella?  You hanging in there?”

“Barely,” she responded with a shaky voice.

Jasper could only imagine how terrified Bella must’ve been, so he attempted to calm her down as best he could.  “We’re going to figure this out, okay?  You’re fine.  We won’t let anything happen to you.”

If it weren’t for the ragged breaths that occasionally sounded through the phone, he’d have thought they had lost their connection.  He continued to try to speak to Bella, offering words of comfort, but Bella wasn’t paying any attention.  Instead, she tried to listen to the noises behind Jasper as they were far more interesting to her.  She could hear Alice mumbling something about trying to ‘see’ who was there in between berating herself for missing that piece of information.  

Unrecognizable voices overlapped, reassuring Alice that it wasn’t her fault, that it was impossible to keep tabs on everybody, and that the fact that she hadn’t seen anything meant that whoever it was hadn’t figured out who Bella was. Alice shushed them, insisting she couldn’t concentrate with all of them speaking at once.  A smooth, rich, masculine voice ignored her plea for silence to assure Alice that she had been watching Bella’s future so closely that the moment someone had decided on anything involving her, she would’ve known.

Bella hadn’t even realized that Jasper had stopped speaking to her.  He, too, was distracted by Alice as she tried to figure out the next course of action.  In fact, all noise aside from Bella’s shaky breaths had ceased while Alice tried to focus.  Moments later, she took the phone back from Jasper.

“Are you still there?” she asked, and Bella responded by humming her affirmation.  “Okay, I don’t see anything happening.  He doesn’t know who you are, only that the person he’s looking for is close.  So stay inside and don’t go near the windows.”

“So it _is_ one of them?” Bella asked, her voice shaking.

“Yeah,” Alice whispered apologetically.  “He’s with them but I’ve never seen him before.  I don’t know who he is, so that’s most likely why they sent him.  They were depending on the likelihood that I wouldn’t see anything he did until it specifically involved us.”

“So, what should I do?” Bella asked.

Before she could answer, Alice’s vision changed and she shouted, “No!”

The word startled Bella, and she listened as Alice berated somebody.  “We can’t go over there, so whichever one of you commandoes just decided on a little rescue mission, forget about it.  It’s not going to work.”

Bella could hear the phone being handed off yet again as Jasper took over.  “Don’t worry about a thing, Bella.  We’re just coming up with a plan, all right?”

“Okay,” Bella whimpered as she agonized over the news that they couldn’t come to get her. 

“Hey,” Jasper said softly, his voice soothing.  “We aren’t going to let anything happen to you.  Alice just needs to run through a few decisions to figure out which is the best and safest plan we can come up with.”

Bella took a deep breath as she stared up at the ceiling, releasing the air slowly and unsteadily.  She didn’t answer him and he wasn’t expecting her to.  After what seemed like an eternity, Alice returned to the line one final time.

“I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear, but you’re going to have to stay there by yourself tonight.  It’s a dead giveaway if any of us show up, and I can’t get a solid read on what’ll happen if you just walk out with your bags and drive away so I don’t want to risk it.  The safest scenario is to wait until sunrise when he leaves.  It’ll buy us a few extra days, since no one will be watching the building during the day.  It’s way too suspicious.  They’ll be on campus or in town where they can blend in with the crowds.”

“A few extra days?” Bella asked, though she knew what Alice’s response would be.

“You’re out of time.  They’re going to figure it out soon, regardless of whether you stay there or come with us.  And you’re safer with us.  If you stay, they’ll find you and try to convince or coerce you into working with them.  If you come with us, they’ll back off and regroup. When they find out they didn’t find you first, they’ll have to step back and try to figure out their next course of action because they know we fight back.”

“Okay,” Bella conceded, though Alice hadn’t really been asking her to make a decision.  It was simply understood that they would take Bella under their wing to work with her, teach her, and protect her.

“Okay?  You’ll come with us?”  Alice’s voice was equal parts relief and enthusiasm.  “You won’t regret this.  You’ll be safe here.  I know that you don’t know much about what’s going on, but we’ll explain it all once you get here.  Oh, and we can work with you, see what all you can do when you really try.”

Somehow, despite the tense and stressful events of the night, Alice managed to make Bella chuckle.  It was as if all the drama was forgotten and they were planning the ultimate sleepover.  They couldn’t escape the gravity of the situation for long, though.

“You’ll need to pack your things,” Alice instructed.  “We have plenty of room here, so bring as much as you want to make yourself feel at home.”

Bella didn’t know if this move was permanent or temporary, and given the fact that the entire situation was far from being resolved, she figured Alice didn’t know either so there was no point in asking.  They talked for just a few minutes more to make plans to move Bella in the early morning hours.  Alice would call her to let her know they were on their way once she felt confident that it was safe.

Though she was mentally exhausted, Bella knew that sleep would be impossible so she set about to busy herself by packing her things.  She pulled the empty plastic tubs from a closet, her head shaking in resignation at having to pack up and move again for the second time in just over a month.  She started with the rooms at the front of the apartment so she could turn off the lights and close the doors, and it would appear as if the occupant had gone to sleep.  As the night crept along, she had packed up everything she would need.  There were a few sentimental things that she would want to keep close to her, and she took everything of value just in case anybody noticed that she had abandoned the place and decided to help themselves to what she’d left behind.  She searched each room three times just to make sure she had taken anything that would provide personal information should these people track her to this apartment and work their way inside to look for clues.  She had just finished cleaning out her refrigerator of perishables when her cell phone rang.  She sighed in relief when Alice’s name flashed across the screen.

“Hey, Alice.  Is it time?”

“We’re good to go.  Are you ready?” Alice queried.

“Pretty much,” Bella responded while trying to stifle a yawn.  “I just need to throw some things out, but that’s it.”

“Great,” Alice chirped, seeming to have forgotten what that led them to this point.  She certainly didn’t sound like she was too affected by the knowledge that they had come so close to being found out just hours before, but perhaps this was normal for her.  “We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

Bella ended the call, and set her phone on the counter with her purse as she tied up the trash bag full of wasted groceries.  Though Alice had said that the uninvited guest across the way was gone for the day, she still didn’t feel comfortable stepping outside by herself, so instead, she sat on her couch and waited until she heard the quick rap at her door.

Bella quickly stood and darted over to let Alice and Jasper in, but not before checking the peephole first.  She laughed when she saw Alice waving at her with a goofy grin and heard her say, “Yep, it’s us!”

Bella shook her head in amusement as she unlocked and opened the door, knowing that Alice had no doubt seen what she was going to do.  Being friends with a psychic would take some getting used to.

The three greeted each other and started carrying boxes out to Jasper’s truck, somehow no longer consumed by the weight of the previous evening’s events. 

It didn’t take long to pack up Bella’s life, but considering she hadn’t lived in the apartment for long, she hadn’t had much time to accumulate things.  After taking out the trash and coming back to lock the door, she walked to her car with a small box of some of her more fragile belongings. 

Alice was waiting for her at the passenger side door.  “Ready?” she asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Bella responded with a sigh as she tapped the unlock button on the key fob. 

The two climbed into the car, and before Alice even had a chance to buckle her seat belt she began talking.  “Just follow behind Jasper to get to our place.  You’ll love it there.  It’s a little out of the way, but it’s very private and very secure.  I got one of the spare bedrooms ready for you last night.  If you don’t like it, you can pick one of the others or we can redecorate.  I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it, though.”  Alice tapped her temple with her index finger and grinned, making Bella laugh.

Bella was still waiting for Jasper to pull out of his parking spot, and already Alice was making her head spin.  As the girl continued to chatter away, Bella could only focus on the words ‘one of the others’, and wondered just how big this house was if there were multiple options for her to choose from.  She realized in that instant just how little she knew about Alice and her friends, even though she was about to move in with them indefinitely.

For a moment Bella wondered what she had been thinking—or not thinking, in this case.  She knew so little about everything that was happening to her, and she wasn’t sure why she had trusted Alice so implicitly.  She looked over at the girl who still hadn’t stopped talking, and couldn’t see how someone who seemed so genuinely nice and caring could have ulterior motives or malicious intentions.  It took only a second for Bella to feel confident in this leap of faith.  Without hesitation, she pulled out of her spot and followed Jasper as he weaved his way out of the parking lot. 

She was just pulling out onto the side street behind the truck when a small, sleek silver vehicle passed in the opposite direction and beeped its horn.  It startled Bella, causing her foot to slip off of the gas pedal.  Alice waved at the driver and laughed at the small jerking motion caused by Bella’s slip.

“Don’t worry,” she said, still chuckling.  “That was just my brother.  He’s our second line of defense.”

Bella looked over and it didn’t seem that Alice was going to elaborate, apparently not realizing that Bella would need further explanation.

“Second line of defense?” Bella asked, urging Alice to clarify. 

“Oh shit,” Alice said, admonishing herself.  “Sorry.  I tend to forget that you’re new to all of this.  Edward’s telepathic… a mind reader.  Since I wasn’t able to see the guy hanging around until you found him, we didn’t want to take any chances that they had someone else who could slip under my radar.”

Bella’s attention was split between learning the route to the house and absorbing every word Alice spoke.  It wasn’t until that moment that Bella realized that she knew nothing of the other roommates, including their talents.

“Wait, so how does that work?  Why is he driving around?” she asked, trying to make sense of what Alice was saying.

“He can hear peoples’ thoughts if they’re within a mile or two.  He did a few laps around your block before I called you to make sure there was no one close by that we needed to be aware of first.”

Before she knew it, Jasper was leading them farther away from civilization and deeper into the woods. They didn’t travel the deserted road for long before the truck signaled for a turn.  Bella slowed her car, trying to see where Jasper planned to turn when Alice finally decided to help navigate.

“It’s easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it, but just keep an eye out for the funky tree.”  Alice pointed at a tree that sloped at an odd angle over the road, and Bella made a mental note of what it looked like.  “The entrance is just around this turn, so when you see the tree you need to be ready.”

Sure enough, as soon as they cleared the turn the truck disappeared from sight.  Bella slowed even more and followed the gravel path, immediately catching sight of Jasper’s truck once again.

Minutes later, they pulled up to a large wrought iron gate.  Bella watched with rapt attention as Jasper keyed in a series of numbers and placed his palm against a flat surface next to the keypad.  After holding his position for just a few seconds, he pulled his arm back inside and rolled the window up.  The gate opened smoothly, and Alice directed Bella to continue following behind the truck.

Bella looked over at the keypad and focused on the nondescript gray surface next to it, and even more questions formed in her head as they passed.  Distracted as she was, she still heard Alice beside her.  “We’ll get you set up with that once you’re settled so you can come and go.”

Bella nodded mutely, and once again turned her attention to the path ahead.  She stared in awe at the large house that loomed ahead once they’d cleared a cluster of trees.  She had a hundred things she wanted to ask Alice but couldn’t verbalize a single one.  The house could have easily been classified as a mansion, and it was now clear why Bella had her choice of rooms if she didn’t like the one that Alice had picked out.  She wondered if more people lived there, parents perhaps, but Alice had only mentioned the five of them living together.

“Welcome home, Bella,” Alice greeted her with a grin when the car rolled to a stop.  Bella didn’t respond; she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the house.  She knew that she wouldn’t catch up on the sleep she’d missed the night before any time soon, because she was clearly even less informed about her new reality than she had originally thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

If Bella thought that the exterior of the house was impressive, it didn’t begin to compare to the inside.  She took tentative steps across the threshold as Alice barreled right past her, oblivious to Bella’s awe, and dropped a single box off at the bottom of a large staircase.  Jasper followed moments later with one of the plastic tubs full of clothes, while Bella continued to take in her surroundings. She hadn’t even left the entryway yet and was already overwhelmed.

“You can just put that over there for now.  We’ll get the rest later,” Alice instructed, directing Bella to leave the small box she was carrying with the others.

With her hands now free, she rested them at her hips as her body turned in a slow circle examining the clean lines and modern feel of her surroundings.  The walls were white, while all of the accents she could see were black.  Even the photographs framed on the walls were black and white.  An impressive staircase, accented with a black wrought iron railing, curved to the second floor.  The back of the house was all glass; a series of windows that began at the first floor and continued all the way up to the second floor provided a breathtaking view of the professionally landscaped back yard.   Even the dreary Pacific Northwest weather couldn’t detract from the view of the lush green expanse of lawn that ended at a solid wall of trees.

“You like?”  Alice’s voice interrupted Bella’s admiring assessment of her surroundings.

Bella took one last look around, noting that instead of the contrast of black and white feeling sterile and cold, the place somehow still felt warm and friendly.  “It’s beautiful.  I can’t believe you live here.”

Alice giggled at the awe that laced Bella’s voice, and gently bumped her right shoulder with Bella’s left.  “ _We_ live here.”

Bella looked at Alice and smiled warmly at the girl’s attempt to include her, to make her forget that she was barely more than a stranger.  After all, to the other three inhabitants, she was still a stranger.

“Come on, let me show you around,” Alice said with a grin as she grabbed Bella’s hand and began pulling her through the house.

Bella followed blindly, her eyes scanning every inch of every room on the first floor as they buzzed through the house at a lightning pace, noting that everything was just as impressive and with a similar design as the foyer, though decorated with muted, neutral paint colors as opposed to white.

 Alice led her through the living room, den, office, and a massive, top of the line kitchen; each room was entirely too nice for a bunch of college students.  It would take a while before she felt like anything other than a guest, but she couldn’t wait until she was comfortable enough to really explore without feeling like she was snooping in someone else’s personal space.  It seemed unreal to her that she would be calling this place home, even if only temporarily.

When they stepped into the garage, Bella stopped suddenly causing Alice to jerk backwards before losing her grip on Bella’s hand.  The garage was immaculate and nicer than many homes.  It was so large that every sound echoed.  She didn’t know much about cars, but Bella could tell that she wouldn’t find a Ford or Chevy among those parked inside.  Each one looked as if it had just come off the showroom floor.

Alice chuckled at Bella’s reaction.  “Sometimes we like to spoil ourselves.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say, “Sometimes?” but Bella refrained.  Alice had been nothing but nice and generous, so who was she to question how much money they had and how they decided to spend it?  Instead, Bella asked, “What’s that?”

Alice followed Bella’s gaze with her own and noted the double doors on the opposite side of the garage.  “That’s the workshop,” she answered as she began walking, while Bella followed behind her.

When they reached the other side of the garage, Alice pulled one of the doors open and stepped inside to flip on the light switch.  She moved aside to allow Bella room to enter, and silently watched as Bella took in everything she was seeing.

Bella took tentative steps inside the room, noting that it was about half the size of the garage and completely full to bursting with power tools, hand tools, and every kind of building material one could ever possibly need made the place look like a mini-Home Depot.

 

 “What is all this?” she asked quietly.

“The guys like to play around in here, experiment with things.  I’m not really sure, I tend to avoid this room,” Alice said as she started to walk around and inspect the unidentifiable projects cluttering up all of the available flat surfaces.  She sat down on a stool at one of the work tables and swung her feet while Bella continued to explore.

Bella looked over at her after a moment and laughed.  “I have no idea what any of this is.”

Alice shrugged.  “Me either.  I figure I’m a girl and no one expects me to know, so it’s okay.”

The two girls laughed over their embodiment of the stereotype for a bit before Alice hopped off of the seat and glided across the room where a number of sheets of various metals and wood were propped against a wall.  “This is for you,” she said as she ran her hand over a large piece of dull silver steel.

Alice’s words caught Bella off guard.  She had somehow managed to forget what had led her here, and it wasn’t until that moment that Bella realized she had no idea what Alice and her friends had planned for her.  “For me?  What do you mean?  What am I supposed to—”

Alice held a hand up to stop Bella before she drove herself to a full blown panic attack.  “The guys just want to test your ability on different materials.  They want to see what your limits are.”

“What are they planning to do with all of this?” Bella asked warily.  She had no idea what they could possibly expect her do with the wood and metal in front of her.

With an arm around Bella’s shoulder, Alice slowly turned her and led her out of the room.  “Don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous.   They’re going to work with you on how to defend yourself so they need to know how much force you can project, which materials you can destroy, and which ones will hold up against you.  Should be fun.”

Alice danced ahead of Bella, effectively ending the conversation.  Though Bella still had questions about what she had seen in the workshop, her biggest question at the moment was whether or not she’d get to the point where a conversation like that would seem as normal to her as is obviously seemed to Alice.  And she wasn’t sure yet whether it would be a good or bad thing if it did become her new normal.

They backtracked through the house at a much slower pace than before, giving Bella a little more time to take in her surroundings.  Alice led them to a living room on the opposite side of the house that had been unoccupied the first time they had been there.

Bella stopped in her tracks the moment she spotted the two people who hadn’t yet noticed her.

“What’d you find out?” Alice asked casually, drawing their attention to her and shattering Bella’s opportunity to observe them before she had to introduce herself.

If she had been a turtle, this would’ve been the moment that Bella disappeared into her shell, because all their attention shot straight to her rather than Alice.  Ignoring the question, a tall, muscled guy bounded directly over to Bella.  His size was daunting, but the affable smile dominated by matching dimples on each cheek significantly toned down any threat he might’ve otherwise posed.

“You must be Bella!” he greeted, his voice excited and animated.  Before she could react, the stranger had his arms wrapped tightly around her in a hug.  Her own arms were tucked between their bodies which prevented her from reciprocating, but he didn’t seem to notice or care.  “About time you got here.”

Bella got the feeling that he wasn’t just talking about today; if the workshop was any indication, he had been waiting a while.

“Umm, yeah.  I’m Bella,” she responded before mentally chastising herself for sounding like such an idiot.

The girl that was standing by Alice walked over, hips swaying, all blonde hair and curves.  She stopped a few feet away and stared at Bella.  “Jesus, Em.  Turn it down about five notches.”

Alice joined the circle at that moment to lead the introductions.  “Bella, this is Rosalie and Emmett.”

Emmett grinned and winked, instantly putting Bella at ease.  Rosalie, however, just continued to stare.  Bella stuck her hand out in greeting, but was snubbed by Rosalie crossing one arm over her torso while her free hand rested at her chin, successfully closing herself off and sending the message that she wasn’t quite ready to let Bella in.  Her eyes scanned Bella’s face, studying her, assessing her, and making Bella feel completely exposed.

“Alice said you rolled a pen across your desk,” Rosalie said, unimpressed.

Bella immediately began blushing in embarrassment at Rosalie’s disapproval, and at how lame the accidental demonstration sounded.

“Can you do more than that?” Rosalie continued her interrogation.

Bella’s irritation spiked.  Emmett put a hand on Rosalie’s shoulder in warning.  “Rosie… ”

Rosalie shot a glare at Emmett, giving Bella the moment she needed to steel her resolve.  “Actually, yes.  I can do much more than that.  I just wasn’t in the mood to try to explain to the professor why I started moving desks around the room with a flick of my wrist.”

Before Rosalie could respond, a loud scraping sound echoed through the room and she fell backwards, her arms and legs flying in all directions before she landed in a chair in an ungraceful heap.  Emmett and Alice burst into laughter seconds later once they realized that Bella had moved the chair so that it would hit the back of Rosalie’s calves and knock her off of her feet, forcing her to sit.

Rosalie quietly fumed at the turn of events, while Bella tried not to smile too much as Emmett clapped her on the back and congratulated her, earning himself a huff from Rosalie.

“Sorry,” Bella said softly, offering a hand in compromise to help her stand up.  Rosalie ignored the gesture and pushed herself out of the chair.  Bella immediately directed it back to its original position while the other three watched.

“So, you don’t have to… ” Emmett trailed off while waving his hand around, gesturing to mime the rest of the thought.

“No,” Bella answered while shaking her head for emphasis.  “I can do it all in my head if I want.  I tend to use my hands out of habit more than anything.”

“Nice,” Emmett responded, grinning and nodding in approval, impressed by his first glimpse at Bella’s ability.

Jasper walked into the room, curious about the odd mix of tension and humor coming from the various occupants.  “What’d I miss?”

“A pretty damn good show,” Emmett boomed, still laughing and earning himself yet another glare from Rosalie.  “What?” he asked with a shrug.  “It was.”

“Okay, back to the real reason we’re here,” Alice interrupted and looked over at Emmett with a quirked brow, daring him to keep laughing.  “You guys have any new info?”

Rosalie’s mood shifted to one of all business.  “I checked all the normal hideouts and didn’t see signs of anyone having been there in a while.  They must have set up home base somewhere new.”

The playful prankster disappeared and a professional, methodical Emmett emerged.  “I was checking property records when you guys came in, but so far nothing has jumped out at me.  I didn’t have time to get very far, but I’m sure I’ll figure out which building is theirs by the end of the day.”

“I think we’re all right for a while,” Jasper said while Bella tried to piece together what they were talking about.  “We have at least a few days before they figure out she’s with us, and even once they know, they won’t act immediately.”

Bella was almost afraid to speak up, feeling completely ignorant of what was happening, but she couldn’t stand remaining in the dark any longer.  “Can someone please start explaining things to me?”

All four sets of eyes turned to her, three of them having the decency to show embarrassment over the fact that they had continued to leave Bella uninformed.

It was Rosalie, however, who spoke up first.  “I just projected myself to all of the buildings that we know they own and no one was there.”

“Projected?” Bella asked, realizing she had no idea what Rosalie’s talent was.

Rosalie didn’t answer; instead, she looked at Bella and smirked.  Seconds later, Bella saw a movement out of the corner of her eye but before she could react, she heard someone whisper in her ear.

“Boo,” the voice said, and Bella jerked her head to find the source, only to stumble backwards in surprise.  She couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing.  Rosalie, or at least something that looked like Rosalie, was standing there. If she believed in ghosts, this is what Bella imagined they would look like.  The doppelganger was translucent, and yet every aspect of Rosalie’s actual appearance was discernable.  It cast an ethereal glow all around it, and seemed to be able to move and react independent of the real Rosalie.

Bella looked back and forth between the two Rosalies, unable to find proper words to form the questions she needed to ask.

“Astral projection,” Alice stated.

“What’s that?” Bella asked, having never heard of it. 

She looked to Rosalie for the answer, the smug look still firmly glued to Rosalie’s face.  “It means I can _go_ anywhere without actually _going_ anywhere.”

Bella furrowed her brow, still not understanding, and blurted out the only thing her brain could come up with.  “Is it like… a ghost?”

“No,” Rosalie answered shortly.  Bella noticed that the other version was now gone.  “That wasn’t really me.  It was just a physical manifestation of my consciousness that I can send anywhere I want.”

Bella was fascinated, and even with Rosalie’s standoffish demeanor she felt compelled to ask more.  “So you can go anywhere in the world at any time?”

“Pretty much,” Rosalie responded in a bored tone, paying more attention to her nails than Bella.  “As long as I’m careful about where I appear, I can go wherever I want.  I just have to make sure that I find a spot where there aren’t likely to be a bunch of people.”

Emmett burst into laughter, and slung an arm around Bella’s shoulder to lead her to the couch in an attempt to neutralize some of the stiff formality of the situation.  “Yeah, she’s managed to scare the shit out of quite a few people.   She’s single-handedly responsible for dozens of claims of hauntings.  She likes to find out where different ghost hunting groups are going to be and screw with them.  It’s pretty funny stuff.”

Rosalie finally cracked a smile, but smoothed her expression the moment she noticed Bella looking at her.  Realizing that the blonde wouldn’t warm up to her any time soon, Bella resolved herself to at least stay as amiable as possible with the hopes that one day she’d accept her. 

She looked over at Emmett who was still laughing, and tried to figure out what his ability was.  She replayed the small amount of interaction they’d had in her head trying to find something out of the ordinary, but couldn’t identify anything.  To be fair, she only had a few minutes worth of contact to draw from.  Having no prior experience dealing with people like herself, she didn’t know what was considered appropriate social behavior and wasn’t sure if she could simply ask.  After a few more moments of watching him speak and taking in his easy demeanor, she realized that if she was about to make a major faux pas he wouldn’t hold it against her.

“So you, umm… ” her words trailed off, unable to find words to ask the question.  Everything sounded either too stupid or too invasive to verbalize.

“You want to know what I can do.”  It wasn’t a question; he could tell by the way she was looking at him that she was studying him, trying to figure him out.

She blushed, embarrassed at her inexperience at discussing such topics.  “Yeah, sorry.  I was a little curious.”

He waved a hand, brushing off her apology.  “You see, me?  I’m a fucking genius.”

He sat back with a cocky smirk on his face while Bella’s brow furrowed in confusion.  She looked around the room to see Rosalie chuckle and roll her eyes.  To her left, she could see Alice settled on Jasper’s lap, shaking her head in disapproval.  Jasper winked at her to let know that they weren’t laughing at her.  “Don’t mind him.  He’s just a conceited prick.”

“Okay, Einstein.  Care to elaborate?” Bella said with a quirked eyebrow, earning a big round of laughs from everyone, even Rosalie.

“I’m cryptesthesic.”  Emmett’s gaze trained on Bella’s to see if his confession meant anything to her.  Her mind raced, tearing the word apart to try and determine its meaning.  The word ‘crypt’ was the only thing that stuck out and she immediately had a mental image of him reanimating corpses, or perhaps it was a fancy word for a medium.  She wasn’t sure how comfortable she would feel living with someone who regularly spoke to the dead.

“What is that?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“Not a lot of people have heard of it because it isn’t something that’s often glamorized in Hollywood or comic books.  Essentially, it means I’m a fucking genius.”

Bella rolled her eyes at him.  He clearly loved making that declaration.  “Yes, we’ve established that.”

Emmett leaned forward, elbows on his knees, as he prepared to define his talent.  “It means I know things.  Information just pops into my head, things I didn’t know before and I have no logical reason for knowing.”

“What kind of things?” Bella was intrigued. 

“Mostly fact-based information… or how to do or make things.  I won’t just suddenly know your personal history, so don’t worry.  Actually, a lot of it is technology, electronics, computers… If I need to know how something works or how to build it, I’ll get this flash of information and it’s like I knew it all along.   That security system out front?  I didn’t know a damn thing about that stuff, but when we needed to install something, it was all there”—he tapped his temple twice—“and I set it up in one day.”

“Wow.”  Bella was in awe and couldn’t elaborate further.

“Pretty cool, huh?” He sat back again, lacing his hands behind his head.

“So just like that,” Bella said, snapping her fingers, “the information is just there.  Things you’ve never known before.”

“Yep,” he said, nodding for emphasis.  “It’s actually a lot like Alice’s gift if you think about it.  She’ll see events that she hasn’t or won’t experience, or she’ll see people she’s never met.  There’s no rational reason for her to see these things and yet she does, usually with the clarity of actually being involved.  It’s the same with me.  I do read a lot to help things along so that I can draw from that information later, but it’s not always necessary.  I can recall everything I’ve read almost instantly, but if I do need the information and I haven’t learned it on my own, eventually it’ll work its way into my head regardless.”

“That’s just… I don’t even know what to say,” Bella stammered before regaining her composure.  With a wink she added, “I guess you really are a fucking genius.”

Everyone laughed again, the mood of the room lightening significantly.  Emmett clapped Bella’s shoulder in appreciation of her sense of humor.

“So would this be where the whole ‘most people only use ten percent of their brains’ thing comes into play?” Bella asked him and he chuckled.

“Actually, that’s a myth.  We use one hundred percent of our brains.  There are a lot of theories as to where that originated, but the most likely is that it has been found that ten percent of the neurons in our brain are firing at any one time.  People just took that information, twisted it, and thought it meant we only use ten percent of our brains, period.”

Bella didn’t respond, just stared at him in stunned silence at the proof at how quickly he could recall random information.  His eyes widened to match hers and he laughed.  “I know, right?!” 

“Since you mentioned the security system, Emmett, why don’t we go ahead and get Bella set up?” Jasper proposed once the laughter had died down.

“Yeah, let’s get that out of the way,” Emmett agreed.  “Get the boring shit done so we can focus on the fun stuff later.  I want to see what all you can do.”

Bella smiled uncomfortably as she followed the two guys out of the room.  She was nervous about showing others what she was capable of, and judging by the projects they had going in the workshop, they had pretty high expectations for her—expectations she wasn’t sure that she could meet.

Emmett led her to a door that she hadn’t noticed during Alice’s high-speed tour of the first floor of the house.  Another keypad like the one outside was mounted next to the door.  Emmett tapped a few numbers, and a small click sounded when the lock let go.  He opened the door and motioned Bella inside.  He followed her in with Jasper trailing just a few feet behind.

Bella stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure as to what she should do.  She was surrounded by computers that were attached to peripherals she was unable to identify.  Jasper rolled a chair toward one of the desks and motioned for Bella to take it.  Emmett was already sitting there, logging into the computer system while Jasper directed a third chair over so that he could join them.

Bella continued to look around, noticing that half of the computers were in pieces with parts and wires scattered all over the place.  It was extremely reminiscent of the workshop with dozens of projects littering the flat surfaces of the room. 

“Like I said… lots of technology and computers.”  Emmett tapped his temple as he had earlier, and Bella immediately flushed with shame at being caught visually exploring what was clearly his personal space.

“What are we starting with first?” Jasper asked.  “Codes or scan?”

Emmett reached over to grab a stack of Post-Its and a pen.  “We’ll start with the codes.”

Bella stayed silent, watching the guys and waiting for them to start explaining things to her.  It took a minute, but once Emmett opened a few programs and entered his passwords, he began scribbling numbers down.  He double checked what he had written against what was on the screen before he turned to Bella.

“Okay, these are your codes to get through the front gate.  We each have our own so that the system will recognize and record who is coming and going.”  He pointed to the five numbers at the top.  “This one is the one you’ll use most of the time.  If it’s just you, or if you’re with any of us, use this one.”

Bella nodded to let him know she understood and waited for him to continue.  He pointed to the second set of numbers and looked at her, holding eye contact to emphasize how important the next bit of information would be.  “Now, this one you’ll use if you bring anybody with you.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a stranger, friend, parent, or the Tooth Fairy.  If the person doesn’t live in this house, use this code.  This is so we have record that somebody visited that didn’t live here.”

“Now the third,” he started before he trailed off and sighed.  He rubbed one hand over his face before speaking again.  “This one, use it if someone’s trying to force their way in.  It’ll open the gate and everything will seem normal outside, but it’ll set off alarms inside the house so we can go on the defensive before your car makes it up from the gate.”

The fear that had been nearly ever present in Bella for the past couple weeks was building again just as Jasper spoke up.  “Don’t put yourself in danger by refusing to let them on the property.  You have to keep yourself safe and we can defend ourselves here.  We have an advantage in this house, so don’t ever feel guilty if you have to open those gates for somebody.”

He stared intently at Bella until she nodded her head in understanding.  She was almost afraid to ask the question, but needed to know.  “How many times have you had to use the third code?”

Emmett and Jasper shared a solemn look before Jasper answered.  “Never.  This is a relatively new addition.”

Both of the guys focused their attention on the computer once again, and Bella took the hint to refrain from asking them to go into more detail.

When Emmett turned back around to her, he was smiling.  “Okay, lay your hand flat on that.”

Bella looked warily between the nondescript gray, plastic pad similar to the one out front, and Emmett.  Taking a deep breath, she gently placed her right hand against the cool gray surface.  

“Okay, just hold it there for a few seconds,” Emmett said distractedly as he watched the progress on the screen in front of him.

A small beep sounded from the computer’s speakers and Emmett gave her the all clear to remove her hand.

“What… what is that?” Bella asked, realizing instantly that she should have asked that question before she allowed the scan.

“It’s a biometric scanner,” Emmett answered as he entered and manipulated data.

“We have that one out there as a back up,” Jasper explained so that Emmett could focus on his work.  “Just in case someone found out your code, they couldn’t get in without you.  You have to have the code _and_ the scan to open the gate.”

“Is it, like… a fingerprint scanner?” she asked, feeling completely out of her element with all of this information. 

Jasper’s face scrunched up in thought.  “It is, but it isn’t.  It doesn’t actually store your prints.  It scans the prints, takes some measurements, gives it a numerical value, and stores that data.”

It still didn’t make much sense to Bella, so she simply shrugged and said, “Oh.”

Once Emmett had saved Bella’s information and logged out of the programs, the three headed back into the living room where Alice and Rosalie were still sitting, talking to each other.

“All set?” Alice asked with a grin.

Bella shifted from foot to foot and slid her hands into her back pockets.  “I guess.”

“Great! You’re official now.  You aren’t getting rid of us anytime soon.”

Bella smiled and slowly walked over the couch, sitting down at the edge of the cushion and listened as everybody talked.  She watched with interest as Emmett picked up the laptop he had abandoned when she and Alice first walked into the room.  He tapped steadily at a single key as he scanned through documents, able to simultaneously take part in the conversation around him.

Bella heard the front door open and close but everyone else seemed to be too wrapped up in their discussion to notice.  She looked up just as a figure entered the room and stopped at the entryway to watch her. 

Her breath immediately caught in her throat.  She was rendered completely immobile by the strikingly handsome man in front of her.  She assumed he must be Alice’s brother since he was the only one of the group she hadn’t met, but there were no discernable similarities between the two siblings.  Where Alice was tiny and petite, with dark hair and overflowing with vivacity, the person before her was tall, lean yet muscular, with wild bronze hair, and his expression serious and brooding.

After a moment, she was distracted by a sensation she had only felt once before.  She looked over at Jasper and was perplexed to see only a look of interest and amusement, a vast change from his prior response.  She was sure that whatever had happened the first time they had met was repeating itself.  Frustrated at being unable to determine the source of that annoying pressure, she felt her body start to go on the defensive just as it had the first time.  When she looked back at the figure in the doorway, she was shocked to see him gripping at both sides of head, his face contorted in pain.

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

“What the hell are you doing to him?” Rosalie screeched as she shot up from her seat and closed the distance between her and Bella, towering over her in a show of intimidation. “Stop it!  Stop it right now!”

“I… I…” Bella stammered, her eyes wide and fearful.  “I’m not doing anything.  I don’t even know what’s happening.”

She blinked a few times before she was finally able to direct her attention to everybody else.  Jasper remained in his seat, watching with amused interest, while Alice and Emmett scrambled to the doorway to stop whatever had caused such a pained reaction from the new arrival.

They released a barrage of questions asking the hunched over figure in the door if he was all right.  Rosalie still hadn’t stopped yelling at Bella, though Bella had ceased listening.

“Just shut the hell up, Rosalie!”  One smooth masculine voice rang out over everybody else’s.

The room silenced, and Bella remained motionless as she watched the person who she assumed to be Alice’s brother stand up straight, rubbing at his temple.  “I’m fine,” he spat.  Glaring at Bella, he continued speaking to the others.  “You all just got really fucking loud for a second.”

“What do you mean?” Alice asked with a furrowed brow.  As Bella looked around, she noticed similar expressions on everybody’s faces but Jasper, who simply lazed back in his seat with a mischievous grin on his face.

Alice slowly stepped closer to Bella and spoke quietly.  “Oh, um… yeah… that’s my brother… ”  Bella nodded but couldn’t turn her attention to Alice, too busy trying to figure out what was going on in front of her.  Alice seemed to be just as distracted.  “Do you know what just…?”

“No,” Bella whispered before Alice could finish the question.  She had no idea what was going on, and felt a little strange that for the first time she wasn’t the only one in the room who was in the dark.  Her attention was drawn to the figure now taking slow but deliberate steps toward her, and she fought with her natural instinct to take matching steps backwards in retreat.

He didn’t speak at first.  His unblinking gaze trained on her face, studying her.  For what, she didn’t know, but the longer the silence dominated the room the more uncomfortable she felt.  She couldn’t take her eyes off of him—for a number of reasons—but as attractive as she found him, she couldn’t help but feel intimidated by his confident stance.

“You’re Bella.”  It wasn’t a question, and he didn’t seem to be expecting an answer.  His head tilted to the side as he continued to assess her, his arms crossed defensively.

Bella pulled together all of her resolve and straightened her posture to mirror his.  Matching his assertiveness, she simply answered, “Yes.”

Recognizing the growing tension, and knowing that this stare down wouldn’t end well for Bella and Edward, Alice stepped between them.  She pushed Edward backwards, shooting him a threatening glare.  Once a more comfortable distance was established between the two, Alice hastily made introductions.  “Bella, Edward.  Edward, Bella.  Okay, everyone knows each other now so you can back the hell off.”

The last part of her rant was hissed through her teeth and directed at Edward, combined with a fierce look of warning and a mental reprimand.  Bella immediately smiled apologetically, but it took several moments and a silent but tense conversation between siblings before Edward rolled his eyes at his sister and attempted to remove the look of skepticism from his face.

Jasper’s smirk widened as he watched the entire exchange and he snickered, the amusement in his thoughts causing Edward’s attention to avert to him.  “You can’t hear her, can you?”

“No, nothing,” Edward replied shortly.  “I sure as hell can hear all of you, though.”  His attention once again turned to Bella, hoping to catch traces of something, anything, that would hint at a deliberate intent to block him on her part.  Instead, he just saw a scared and confused girl who, under any other circumstances, would have earned a completely different and radically more pleasant kind of interest from him.

He shook his head at the direction his mind was taking, as well as the memory of the group’s combined inner thoughts reverberating in his head, and Jasper laughed harder. 

“Can you?” Edward asked, and showed immediate signs of frustration when Jasper nodded.

 Jasper threw his hands up in the air in a sarcastically defensive gesture.  “I can only read her emotions, I can’t manipulate them.  Let me guess—you were trying to get into her head and it only made everything that already existed around you even worse?”

“Yeah, how did you… Oh!” Edward looked at Jasper in surprise at the thoughts that he’d just overheard.  He hadn’t expected this new development at all.  As Bella looked around, she noticed she wasn’t the only one growing annoyed at being left out of the loop.

“So what the hell happened?” Emmett demanded as he walked closer to Bella and Alice.  Bella took that moment to look around again, and wanted to cringe at the way Rosalie was scrutinizing her.  She quickly averted her eyes and found herself again trapped in Edward’s stare.  This time, though, his features had softened somewhat into a look of pure curiosity and awe, with only a moderate amount of the disapproving suspicion that had dominated minutes earlier.  The moment she started to again consider how attractive he was, his eyes narrowed and the butterflies that had started to flit around her stomach were immediately pushed aside as a tickle started, slowly building to a low pressure, letting her know that someone was trying to duplicate earlier events.

“Bella isn’t telekinetic,” Jasper answered casually, and slouched even deeper into the cushions of the chair.

All attention immediately turned to Bella as if she would be the one to answer the unasked questions and she unsuccessfully tried to shrink away. 

“Are you sure?” Edward’s question was directed at Jasper, though his eyes were trained on Bella.  The pressure amped up, and it aggravated Bella further that he simply wouldn’t stop what he was doing.  The blame had been laid at her feet earlier, yet it seemed clear to her that whatever happened was a result of something he was doing, not her.

Jasper laughed so hard this time that he snorted.  “Are you really asking me that?  You just experienced it yourself.”

“Stop that!” Bella interrupted with a growl.  The pressure ceased immediately and she looked quickly between Jasper and Edward.  Her face was a mix of frustration and annoyance as she tried to determine the source, though she was pretty sure she already knew, and leveled her withering stare on Edward.

It was Jasper, though, who spoke up.  “Stop what?”  He could sense her growing irritation and anger, and could only imagine that Edward’s persistent curiosity had something to do with it.

“Whatever it is that you guys keep doing to me, stop it.  I can’t stand it, so knock it off,” she demanded as her anger continued to swell.

“You can feel that?” Jasper asked with wonder in his voice as he added this new piece of information to what he’d already deduced about Bella.

Her brow seemed to be in a permanent furrow.  “Of course I can, and it isn’t exactly pleasant.”

Jasper looked over at Edward, quirking a brow and motioning to her with one hand as if to say, “See? Point proven.”

A chuckle escaped Edward as a small smile started to form.  Bella felt her heart rate pick up at what that slight shift in emotions did to his already beautiful face.  But she couldn’t stand not knowing what was going on, especially when they were talking about her, and quickly changed her focus to what was truly important.

“So, what am I then?” she asked cautiously.

“You,” Jasper said slowly, drawing out the suspense, “are psychokinetic.”

In the back of her head, Bella could’ve heard crickets chirping.  “Huh?”

Emmett’s laughter boomed as he swung an arm around Bella’s shoulders and pulled her in closer, knocking her slightly off balance so that she stumbled into his side.  “This is going to be more fun than we thought!”

“Holy shit!” Alice’s voice rang loudly at the same time, causing everyone but Bella to laugh.

“Wait, what?”  Bella continued to grow more and more frustrated at once again being left in the dark. 

Everyone’s attention had drifted to Alice who was staring at seemingly nothing, lost in her own thoughts.  After a few moments she blinked rapidly before focusing on the people around her again, and a grin spread across her face.  She grabbed onto Bella’s wrist, tugging at her arm as she bounced up and down excitedly.  “We’re going to have so much fun with this!”

“With what?” Bella yelled.  Everyone seemed to be ignoring her, talking amongst themselves, their words a steady hum rather than coherent thoughts that Bella could pick apart to begin to understand.  “Will someone please tell me what is going on?”

“You’re psychokinetic.”  The words slipped through Jasper’s lips a second time, straightforward and direct.  He waited and watched for her response to see if her new title meant anything.  It didn’t surprise him that she still exuded confusion.

“What is that?  What does it mean?” she asked as the room quieted down.  Everyone took a seat while Bella distractedly perched on the edge of the couch, as close to Jasper’s chair as she could get, waiting for him to explain and trying desperately to ignore Edward’s presence just a few feet away.  His eyes boring into the side of her head made her feel anxious, awkward, and self-conscious, and she was unwilling to turn to meet his gaze.

Jasper scooted forward in his own seat and casually rested his elbows on his knees.  “It’s basically the same thing as telekinesis, but with a wider scope.  From what we can tell, you aren’t limited to physical objects.  Your ability seems to work on the intangible as well.   So, just like you can control the things around you, you can also control anything we might be throwing at you with our abilities.”

“You’re blocking us.”  Bella’s head jerked to the side in surprise, not expecting Edward to speak.  “You’re blocking us, and whatever we try to do to get into your head is deflecting right back.”  His words were short and bluntly stated, and Bella’s eyes narrowed at him in response.

Jasper started laughing, and Bella turned her attention back to him.  “The night that Alice and I showed up at your apartment, the first time it happened?”  Bella nodded.  “I could read your emotions, but when I tried to calm you down all it did was magnify the fear you were feeling and send it right back to me.  I’ve never felt anything like it.”

“Wait, so why didn’t you tell any of us about that if you knew?” Emmett interjected.  As Bella looked around, she realized that she wasn’t the only person completely consumed by every word Jasper was saying.

“So I could be certain,” Jasper answered with a shrug.  “I was pretty sure that was what happened but I had to be positive before I said anything, and I wanted to be able to observe it happening again without outside influence.”

“You set me up!” Edward accused as he walked over to punch Jasper’s shoulder, unsure whether to be angry at having this important piece of information withheld, or amused that someone had managed to keep him in the dark about something.  “How in the hell did you keep it to yourself all those times that we discussed what the various possibilities were with her?”

Jasper tapped his temple twice and pointed at Edward’s head, smirking.  “I’m getting good at keeping your nosy ass out, huh?”  Jasper paused for a moment before asking, “What did it feel like for you?”

Edward looked around the room and settled on Bella for a moment, wondering whether or not to describe the effect she’d had on him in detail with her.  Deciding that there wasn’t much use in holding back since she would find out anyway while she was training, he turned back to Jasper.  “The harder I tried to read her, the louder everyone else’s thoughts were.  It was like someone just turned the volume up, notch by notch, until all I heard was feedback.  It was worse than nails on a chalkboard.”  A collective cringe spread through the room.

Jasper nodded his head thoughtfully as he considered how this information backed up the theories he’d been developing since first meeting Bella that night at her apartment.

“So wait,” Edward started as he moved to stand closer to Jasper and Bella, looking between the two before directing his attention to Jasper.  “How can you read her but not manipulate her?”

Jasper gave Bella a comforting smile after noticing how unsettled she was starting to feel.  Her emotions had spiked at the word ‘manipulate.’  Understanding that for most normal people, the thought of being manipulated came with a very negative connotation; he knew it would take time for her to get used to hearing it thrown around so casually.

“I don’t have to get into her head to feel her emotions.”  Bella’s brow furrowed and, sensing her confusion, he knew she needed a better explanation, having no experience with how his talent worked.  “Think of all that New Age garbage about ‘reading auras’ where someone insists they see colors around people’s bodies.  A person’s emotions come off of them in waves that I can feel.  Just like you aren’t blocking us from hearing the words you speak, you aren’t blocking those waves.  But to influence emotions I have to get inside a person’s head, and your body is instinctually shielding itself from that.”

She looked back and forth between Jasper and Edward, hoping either would elaborate, but they seemed to only be watching her, waiting for her response to this information.  “So why can Alice see what I’m going to do?” Bella asked, trying to fit all of the pieces together.

“I’ve thought about that a lot since the first night we met, and that’s actually how I’ve figured out as much as I have.  She doesn’t see the decisions you make… she sees the results.  Most of the time I’d imagine that it’s pretty easy to infer what the choice was based on events that she sees happening, but there are so many factors that could go into any given outcome that it’d be impossible to attribute it to any one decision with real certainty.”

“This is so damn cool.”  Emmett’s voice sent ripples of laughter through the room once again as he rubbed his hands together mischievously.

“That it is,” Jasper agreed with a chuckle.  “Now we just have to figure out how to get her to stop shielding.”

“Wait,” Bella interjected, her voice panicked.  “Isn’t this a good thing?  Why would I want to open myself up so that someone could get in my head and have free reign?”

“Because you need to figure out how to turn it on and off when you’re in a controlled environment, and not when someone’s trying to hurt you or use you,” Edward responded and when Bella looked over, his stance was rigid and his eyes were assessing her.   Every emotion he felt was displayed with intensity in the way he carried himself.  Bella wondered for a moment if he was always this passionate about things, and immediately mentally berated herself for allowing her thoughts to travel in that direction when so far he’d been nothing but confrontational and antagonistic with her.

She couldn’t make sense of the way his mood swung back and forth, curious one moment and gruff the next, but she refused to just cower.  She’d already put Rosalie in her place, and she had no qualms about doing the same with him.  They came looking for her, after all, not the other way around. 

“How do you know I can turn it off at all?”  Her voice was laced with bitterness matched with a tense posture at being made to feel like she was the villain here.

“You’ve never tried?”  He placed his hands on the arm of the couch and leaned his weight onto them, closing the distance between himself and Bella with a slight scowl on his face.

She rolled her eyes, but otherwise did not shy away from his withering stare.  “Obviously not.  I just found out two minutes ago that I was even doing it.  My apologies for not mastering it fast enough for you.”

She heard a snort of laughter behind her but didn’t turn to see who it came from.  Tense moments passed until Edward pushed against the arm of the couch to stand upright again, and Bella took a deep breath to calm herself.

Jasper stood from his chair and held his index finger up, looking at Bella.  “I’ll be right back.”

The room was uncomfortably quiet until Jasper returned.  “Bella!” he yelled out, and she turned her head to see him standing in the doorway in a pitcher’s stance as he lobbed a tennis ball straight at her with as much strength behind it as he could muster.  Bella instinctively threw her hand out in front of her and the ball immediately changed course as if it had hit a wall, even though it was only halfway across the room.

“What the hell are you doing?” Alice yelled at Jasper as she jumped up from her seat, shock written all over her face.

“Hang on a second,” he said with a laugh as he jogged off to find the ball.  Everybody watched him as he crawled on the floor to reach under a small table on the other side of the room.  Seconds later he stood up, proudly waving the tennis ball in the air and walked back over to his seat.  “Got it!”  Bella watched him warily, not trusting him for a second.  He laughed loudly the moment he felt her suspicion and tried to smooth things over with an apologetic smile.  “Let’s try this again, shall we?”

From only a few feet away, he lightly passed the ball to Bella who caught it easily.  She looked at the ball in confusion and then to Jasper.  “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Nothing.  You already proved my point.”  Jasper shrugged and lounged back crookedly in the chair, propping his ankle on the opposite knee and stretching an arm across the back.

“And what point is that?”

“The point… ” he trailed off as he thought of how to explain his little experiment.  “If your body feels the need to defend itself, it will on instinct.  But if you want to let something through, you can.  Now we just have to figure out how to help you get control of that ability when it comes to your mind.”

Bella nodded once as she stared contemplatively at the ball rolling around in her hands.  “So I need to figure out if something triggers this defensive reaction in order to maintain complete control over it before somebody else figures it out while trying to hurt me… or use me.”

She looked up at Edward after paraphrasing his words to see him nod once.

“Exactly,” Jasper said softly.  “You have a pretty valuable tool there.  Not many people are able to protect themselves the way you can, and you don’t want to lose that when somebody is trying to _persuade_ you into doing something you don’t want to do or… ” Jasper paused and looked around the room thoughtfully, his eyes focused briefly on the window overlooking the back yard. “Some people like us can cause pain… or at least the illusion of pain.”

A spike of fear radiating off of Bella compelled Jasper to explain further.  “If they can get into your head, they have the ability to make you think you’re experiencing excruciating pain.  If you’re in the middle of something like that, it’ll be nearly impossible to gather the composure you’ll need to figure out how to put that wall back up.  You’d be completely susceptible to whatever they try to do.”

Bella looked at him, not immediately responding while she pondered his explanation.  She looked around the room from person to person, taking notice of the solemn looks that surrounded her.  Turning to Edward, she surveyed the way his stance was even more rigid than it had been all morning, and she regarded how each of his breaths seemed to be consciously measured.

For a moment she felt sympathetic, but quickly pushed it aside when she remembered that she still didn’t know from whom she needed to guard herself.   Her attention was drawn to the ball once more as she began to speak, to challenge anyone to enlighten her.  “Does anyone care to fill me in on who would want to hurt or use me?  Who exactly am I hiding from?  Because right now the extent of my knowledge begins and ends with ‘someone’ is looking for me.”

The moment her speech was over, she forced brief eye contact with each person in the room.  She watched as they all simply looked at each other, waiting for someone to take initiative. 

“I’m sorry,” Alice said, breaking the silence.  “I probably should have told you, but I didn’t want to scare you more than I already had.”

Bella nodded slightly to let Alice know she was listening but otherwise wasn’t about to interrupt when it appeared she was finally going to get answers.  Alice’s face scrunched in thought as she tried to find words.  “Have you ever heard of the Volturi?”

Bella shook her head and Alice smiled reassuringly.  “Don’t worry, I didn’t expect you to.  Very few people have ever heard of them.  They started out a long time ago, just the three of them, using their abilities for minor crime.  Small scale theft mostly, but they were also known to… intimidate people into doing their bidding or giving them what they wanted.  Over time, they grew more ambitious and instead of stealing from one person, they focused on business, banks, and eventually whole countries.”

Bella turned her attention to Emmett as he started speaking, elbows on his knees and hands clasped together.  “You know how you always see on the news where billions of dollars in international aid disappears and nobody can track where it went?”

“It’s them?” Bella asked, eyes wide with surprise with the knowledge that in a roundabout way she had heard of them.  “They’re the ones taking it?”

“Not all of it,” Emmett responded.  “But a pretty big chunk gets funneled to them.  And they’re good at keeping their connection hidden, so they’ve never been implicated.  They also do whatever it takes to put their puppets in positions of power so that they can affect national and international policies that’ll benefit them while maintaining their anonymity.”

The five friends waited a moment for the scale of things to sink in with Bella.  “How?” was the only response she could form.

“People like us.” Alice shrugged.  “They started ‘collecting’ people who had talents they found valuable because their own powers were rather limited considering the things they wanted to do.  Some joined them willingly, others were coerced.”

Again, Alice stopped to assess Bella’s reaction.  Even knowing as little she did about this whole supernatural existence she was now living, Bella’s imagination ran away with all the ways one could be ‘coerced’ when not limited to the natural world.  Her eyes stopped at a window overlooking the back yard.  The sun had decided to peek through, making the world outside seem a little more hopeful than it felt inside the confines of the living room as everything Bella thought she knew about reality crumbled.

“And they’re looking for me.”  It wasn’t a question.  Her hands came up to her face and started rubbing at her temples, as if trying to work away the possibilities that her imagination had conjured when considering what might’ve happened had Alice not found her first.

Jasper, sensing the shift in Bella’s mood, jumped in and took over once again. “They are.  They’ve been trying to get to all of us for a while, but we have reason to believe that you’re considered their top priority right now.”

That halted Bella’s movements immediately.  “What? Why?”

“For a couple reasons,” Jasper said, trying to comfort her with a smile since it was the best he could do given his limitations when it came to Bella.  “They knew you were alone, so it would’ve been easier to get you on their side with no one to back you up or fill you in on their real intentions.  We also think that they would find your talent especially useful.”

“I move things around,” Bella said flatly, seeing nothing truly impressive about herself.  “Unless they plan on redecorating and need someone to move furniture, I don’t see what possible use they could have for me.”

A quick movement jolted her attention to Edward, who had sprung from his spot where he’d been standing a few feet away to once again brace himself on the arm of the couch to tower over her.  The rapid advance had frightened her, but not nearly as much as the anger on his face.

“You really expect us to believe that?  That you have no idea what you’re capable of doing?”

Emmett jumped up from his spot and had pushed Edward backwards before he finished speaking.  “Back off, man.  Okay?  That’s uncalled for.”

Jasper stood from his seat as well, ready to assist Emmett if needed.

“You’re not buying that, are you?  There’s no way she can be that naïve.”  He challenged Emmett with a disbelieving gaze, daring him to argue his point.

Bella wanted to start yelling right back at him, but was too distracted trying to figure out what he was talking about and why he was so angry.

“This is all new to her,” Emmett growled at Edward, not letting go of the shirt that was fisted in his hands in an attempt to keep Edward restrained so he couldn’t charge at Bella again. “She hasn’t been living with this for as long as we have.  There was a time when we all were oblivious.”

Finally having had enough, Bella stood from her seat and propped her hands at her hips.  “Okay, fine.  Since I’m apparently just a bungling amateur, how about somebody explain it to me so we can all move on?”

“You really _don’t_ see it, do you?”  Rosalie spoke up for the first time since Edward had entered the room earlier.  Bella looked over to see Rosalie looking at her disapprovingly.

“Apparently not,” Bella responded tersely as she ran one hand through her hair, tugging at the strands in aggravation.

“I’m guessing that you can probably move things with your mind that you couldn’t with your physical strength, right?” Jasper asked. 

Bella’s eyes averted briefly to where Emmett and Edward were still standing, noting that Emmett had let go of his shirt and both seemed much calmer. 

“You’re right.  I can move things that I wouldn’t be able to on my own.”

Jasper knew he had to be careful with his words.  Though she had been emitting quite a large range of emotions due to the stressed atmosphere in the room, it was still clear to him by her reactions to the information she’d been given that it truly was all new to her.

“Am I also correct in guessing that you’ve only ever really had to use your power defensively, or just for the hell of it?”  Jasper’s tone was soft and his movements slow, as if attempting to approach a wild animal.

Bella chuckled lightly at the quirked eyebrow that accompanied the phrase ‘just for the hell of it’ and nodded, then once again looked around the room to make sure she wasn’t about to be insulted again.

“The Volturi look at someone like you and they see a weapon.  They’re very good at keeping their hands clean, and with you, it’d be even easier.   Theoretically, you could simply stand unnoticed in a room and drop a chandelier on someone, killing them instantly.”

Bella’s eyes widened, shocked and stunned at the idea and how casual Jasper sounded.  She shook her head in denial.  “I wouldn’t… I could never… ”  Her head continued to shake back and forth, rejecting the idea that she would be capable of such an atrocity as the anger that had steadily built dissolved until she was left with nothing but horror and repulsion.

Holding a hand up in front of himself to try and stop her before she worked herself into a panic attack, Jasper interrupted.  “I’m not saying you would, I’m just saying that’s how they see things.  They’re getting bolder and more aggressive, they think themselves invincible, and assassination isn’t exactly something that’s off the table for them at this point.  I don’t think there are any lines of morality that they aren’t willing to cross.  Especially if someone else is doing the dirty work for them.”

His eyes drifted to Alice quickly, but Bella caught it.  She immediately turned to Alice, putting the pieces together.  “Have you seen something?”

Alice narrowed her eyes at Jasper who shrugged apologetically.  “Nothing concrete,” she admitted.  “It’s very fuzzy since they don’t know who you are yet, and they’re only just starting to think of the possibilities.  But that’s why we were trying so hard to find you before they did, because once they have their mind set on something, they don’t give up easily.  If you wouldn’t have worked with them willingly, they would have tried to force you.”

The five friends silently exchanged looks of concern when Bella slumped forward with her forehead in her hands, a curtain of hair blocking her face from their view.  Seconds stretched into minutes before she inhaled slowly, audibly, and straightened back up, her face devoid of emotion.

Alice and Jasper shared a look before Alice turned back to Bella.  “We can talk more later.  You have to be exhausted since you didn’t get any sleep last night.  Let’s get your things and I’ll show you to your room.”

Bella simply nodded and stood, following silently behind Alice without acknowledging anybody in the room.  She wasn’t sure she’d be able to fall asleep, but some time alone to think about everything she’d just learned wouldn’t hurt.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The afternoon sun had shifted to the back of the house, shining directly through the bedroom window and warming the room a few degrees.  The change was small but significant enough to cause Bella to stir from a deep sleep.  She fought against the instinct to open her eyes in a useless attempt to convince herself that she wasn’t yet awake.

She rolled over and buried her head into the pillow.  It took a few moments, but after lucidity prevailed she knew something felt off.  The thickness of the pillow, the softness of the sheets, the ambient noise that filled the room… everything was different.  One of her eyes opened just slightly, but it was enough to push her full force into consciousness.  She sat up quickly and looked around before remembering the events that led her to this room— _her_ room.

A light knock sounded at the door before it cracked open and Alice peeked in.  “Oh, good.  You’re awake!” she said, sounding not at all surprised.  If the tone of her voice didn’t give it away, the mischievous wink that accompanied her words did.

Bella laughed lightly and watched as Alice crossed the room and climbed up on the bed, folding her legs beneath her and clearly ready to chat.

“I don’t even remember falling asleep.”  Bella rubbed at her eyes then squinted at the light in the room.  “How long was I out?”

She looked around and found an alarm clock on the nightstand to her right at the same time Alice answered, “About five hours, but you’ve been up here for seven.”

A yawn escaped before Bella could speak. “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to sleep so long.  I’m sure there’s a lot to do.”

“There is, but don’t worry about it.” Alice waved the apology off with a flick of her wrist.  “I know you didn’t sleep at all last night, and we did kind of bombard you with information this morning.  You needed rest and we have plenty of time.”

Bella nodded and looked down at the comforter, following the patterns with her eyes as she tried to think about what to do or say next.  Though part of her knew that she’d eventually end up here, and she had considered numerous scenarios of what would happen once she arrived at the house, now that this was her reality she felt self-conscious and out of place. 

“You probably still have a ton of questions,” Alice said, interrupting the silence.  “Anything you want to ask?”

Bella looked up, instantly calmed by the sincerity that played across Alice’s features.  After the strange mix of welcomes she received this morning combined with her own irritated responses, she wasn’t sure if Alice’s opinion of her had changed.

“Tons,” Bella answered with an awkward laugh.  “But I have no idea where to start.  They’re all just kind of swirling around and not making much sense right now.”

Alice smiled sympathetically.  “It’s a lot to process.  Once you start to organize your thoughts, just ask.  We’ve all been there, struggling to figure it all out.  Don’t hesitate to speak up.”  Bella nodded at Alice’s words and when Alice shifted her legs to the edge of the bed and stood, offering her a hand, Bella took it and followed.

“You’ve got to be starving,” Alice said with a chuckle as she started to lead Bella out of the room. 

Before they reached the door, Bella stopped.  The grip Alice had on her hand caused her to jerk backwards slightly.  Letting go, she turned around and waited for Bella to speak.

Bella shuffled around uncomfortably for a few moments, her mind still on this morning’s introductions.  “I’m… really sorry about earlier.  I shouldn’t have gotten so upset… so defensive.”

“Are you kidding me?” Alice scoffed and once again waved off Bella’s concern.  “You handled that so much better than I would have.”

Though Alice was giving her an ‘out’, Bella didn’t feel comfortable taking it.  “Still, you guys opened your home to me.  I should’ve been more appreciative.”

“I’m serious.” Alice’s voice was stern and no-nonsense.  “Rosalie likes to challenge people to make them earn her respect, and though she might act otherwise right now, the fact that you stood up to her puts you firmly on the  path to gaining her acceptance.”

Bella nodded, feeling slightly better but still guilty.

“As for my brother,” Alice grumbled, “he was completely out of line and he knows it.  I made sure of that.”

Bella opened her mouth to insist that she didn’t want to start a fight between siblings, but Alice held a hand up to stop her.  She knew what Bella was about to say and refused to allow her to take any blame for her actions.

“He was.  And he’s now well aware of that fact,” Alice said.  “Mom would rip him apart if she knew he behaved like that.  He has… issues with trusting people.  And with good reason.  But he has no right treating you or anybody else the way he did.”

“I just don’t understand what I did,” Bella responded, still confused by his hostility and the way her own reactions had seemed to fluctuate from one extreme to the next.

Alice stepped closer and put an encouraging hand on Bella’s arm.  “You didn’t do anything.  He was born with a stick up his ass.”

Without pausing to even think about filtering her words, Bella responded, “Wow, that must’ve been really uncomfortable for your mom.”

They had both spoken so matter-of-factly that it took a few seconds for their words to truly process.  When they did, Bella couldn’t hold back the hysterical laughter which immediately prompted Alice to join in.  Together, the two girls held onto each other in an attempt to stay upright while wiping away the tears that had started falling.

After a minute they began to calm down, occasional chuckles escaping in an effort to sabotage their attempt to compose themselves.  “Come on,” Alice said, jerking her head to indicate that Bella should follow her.  “Let’s go raid the fridge.”

As the two walked quickly down the stairs, Bella noticed that nobody else seemed to be around.  She debated asking Alice about it, but as soon as she opened her mouth she heard a loud thud just as they passed a closed door.  It startled her, but then she heard deep laughter and muffled talking from behind the door and assumed that everyone else was in that room.  Another loud thud prompted her to speak.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, pointing a thumb over her shoulder to the room they had passed.

“Oh, that?” Alice asked, finally acknowledging the disturbance.  Another thud sounded, following them down the hall.  “They’re just getting things set up.”

“Set up?” Bella looked behind her, wanting to return to the door to find out what was happening on the other side.

They made it to the kitchen when Alice answered her with a sly grin.  “To see what you can do.”

“Oh.”  Bella instantly felt pressured, never having to ‘perform’ on command and certainly not for an audience.  She was still getting used to speaking openly about her gift; it would take some time before she felt comfortable enough to use it without feeling the need to be discreet.

Alice disappeared behind the refrigerator door as she shuffled through shelves and drawers.  “Sandwiches okay?”

“That’s fine,” Bella responded as she sat on a stool at the island.

Alice emerged with an armload of food, kicking the door shut with her foot.  “Great.  Nice and quick so we can get started sooner.”

She quickly laid everything out on the island, then grabbed plates and bread before returning to claim the stool next to Bella.  They worked quickly and Bella was thankful when Alice started talking about their shared class as they ate rather than the weightier subjects she knew were on both of their minds.

“There’s the psycho!” Emmett’s voice boomed.  Bella turned, startled, while Alice glared in disapproval.  Detecting Alice’s scowl, Emmett shrugged.  “Get it? Psycho? Psychokinetic?”  Neither of the girls responded and he shrugged again.  “Too soon?”

“Don’t mind him, he lacks a filter,” Alice instructed before popping the last bite into her mouth.

Emmett walked over to the opposite side of the counter and started rifling through the spread laid out on the countertop.  Ignoring Alice’s slight dig, he looked at Bella.  “I’d pay good money to be able to keep everyone out,” he said, laughing, as he tapped his temple.  “You better damn well appreciate that gift.  The lack of privacy around here is a bitch.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not exactly fun on my end either… stuck overhearing the most repulsive thoughts you can come up with.”

The sound of Edward’s voice startled Bella.  She hadn’t heard him coming, and was surprised to see both him and Jasper entering the kitchen.  A flurry of emotions washed over her—nervousness over how this second encounter would play out the being most dominant—prompting Jasper to flash a reassuring smile in her direction.

Emmett’s loud laugh drew her attention back to him.  He leaned forward on his elbows and lowered his voice as if he was about to tell Bella a secret.  “I like to catch him off guard and think of the most disgusting things I can come up with, knowing I’ll get a flash on the entire process in my head and he’ll be forced to see it all.”

Alice capped her bottle of water as she laughed.  “He focuses on the most off the wall surgical procedures… the kind of stuff TLC makes hour long specials for.  Oh!  And nothing beats the day he started thinking about cow midwifery.”

Emmett’s guffaw filled the room as he turned to Edward.  “Aw, man.  I thought for sure you were going to puke that time.  I’ll have my work cut out for me to top that one.”

“Yeah, yeah.  It was hilarious,” Edward deadpanned. “Now are we going to get to work, or are we going to sit around bullshitting for the rest of the night?”

“Chill out, man,” Emmett responded as an impish grin stretched across his face.  “You’re too uptight.  Unclench those ass cheeks a little or you’re gonna start squeaking when you walk.”

Edward leveled a glare at Emmett, not at all amused by his teasing.  “Grow the hell up.”

The laughter that Jasper and Alice were trying to hold back finally burst forth when Edward turned to storm out of the kitchen.  Alice threw her balled up napkin across the island at Emmett.  “You’re _so_ not helping.”

“I’m _so_ not trying to,” he mocked her as he threw the napkin back, completely missing Alice and sending the wadded paper to the floor.

Bella watched the two friends banter but didn’t pay much attention.  Her mind was focused on Edward and the realization that little, if anything, had changed since this morning.  After her talk with Alice, she had managed to gain a small amount of hope that things would be better, but if his attitude in the kitchen was any indication, their association with each other would continue to be rocky at best.   The fact that Rosalie was nowhere to be found led her to believe that relationship would continue to be strained as well.

“All right, are we done here?” Jasper asked, interrupting Alice and Emmett.  He turned to Bella with an encouraging look.  “Ready?”

A new kind of uneasiness settled over Bella as she looked at him before responding with an uncertain, “I guess?”

Emmett rubbed his hands together in anticipation.  “Can’t wait to see what you can do,” he said, excited to take this first step towards everything they’d been planning since first learning of Bella’s existence. 

Knowing that Bella was uncomfortable at the idea of being the center of attention, Alice placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  “Don’t worry, we’ll start off small.”

Bella nodded and slid from the stool as everyone began to make their way out of the kitchen and back down the hall.  When they came to the door that had caught her attention earlier, she stopped before walking in as her mind raced with all of the possibilities of what the room held.  When she worked up the nerve to step in, it wasn’t at all what she’d expected.

It was empty.

Completely devoid of any furniture, decorations, or even a window, the room was a barren space that echoed every sound.  The wrestling mats that covered nearly every inch of the floor were the only things inside, signifying that the room was intentionally left undecorated.

Remembering the loud thuds that had originated from this room and reverberated through the hall, Bella assumed the guys had been laying the mats out since there was nothing else that could’ve made those noises.

As her eyes continued to scan the space around her, they eventually fell on Edward who she hadn’t noticed standing there.  He was watching her, his expression intense and severe, causing her to look away quickly.   The way he studied her made her feel exposed and vulnerable.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Emmett said as he walked to the middle of the room and turned to face Bella.  It wasn’t until that moment that she made the connection that an empty room meant no objects for her to move.

Sensing her confusion, Jasper stepped closer to her side.  “We’re going to be the guinea pigs.”

“What?” She was shocked and alarmed by this.  “You can’t… I can’t… ”

“Sure you can!” Alice chirped.  “Seriously, I’d love the chance to get to push these guys around a little from time to time.  Enjoy having free reign while you can.”

“I don’t know.”  Bella shook her head, still not convinced.  She had been worried enough about moving inanimate objects around for everyone to see; moving people around seemed like a completely ridiculous request.

Emmett bounced from foot to foot like a boxer, trying to take some of the seriousness out of the situation.  “Come on, Brutus.  Show me whatcha got.”

Bella laughed at that.  “Brutus?”

“Well, you didn’t like psycho,” he said, then pointed at her and narrowed his eyes.  “I’ll come up with a nickname that sticks.  Just wait and see.”

She took tentative steps forward before stopping a few feet in front of him.  “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

He grinned at her willingness to push her self-consciousness aside, even if she was hesitant to do so.  “I want you to physically push me without using your talent first… just so I have a basis of comparison.”

She hesitated for a few moments before stepping even closer and awkwardly trying to decide where to place her hands before finally settling on his shoulders.  She shifted her left leg back one step to brace herself and started pushing.

Emmett didn’t budge.  “Come on, I know you can do better than that.”

She added a little more force, but was still nowhere near full strength.  As Emmett continued to heckle her, she applied more and more pressure.  At some point she had shifted so that her forearms were against his chest in an attempt at gaining more leverage.  She could hear the others laughing and talking as her feet began to slowly slide backwards.  She’d take a step to try to find the traction she needed, only to slide again.  The fact the Emmett kept making her laugh didn’t help matters.  The more he teased, the more determined she was until finally she gathered enough strength to force him a single step backwards.  The movement caused her to lose her balance and she crashed into him, laughing.

Emmett righted her and shook his head.  “About time.”

Alice walked up to her with a cold bottle of water that Bella assumed she must’ve slipped out to get while she and Emmett were otherwise engaged.  She hadn’t realized how much the exertion had wiped her out until the cool liquid travelled down her throat, instantly reenergizing her.

When half the bottle was gone, she capped it and placed it in Alice’s outstretched hand.

“Okay, now what?” she asked.

“Look at you,” Emmett boomed as he patted her shoulder.  “Ready for more so soon?”

She half-smiled in embarrassment and shrugged.  “Might as well get it over with before I lose my nerve.”

Emmett held his index finger up.  “I’ll be back in a minute.”

He tore out of the room without saying another word, and when Bella looked around everyone seemed to be just as confused by his actions as she was.  At least that was the case until Alice started chuckling, followed by Edward a moment later.

“Is he really…?” he asked.

Alice shook her head in amusement.  “Yep.”

“You seemed a little apprehensive,” Jasper said, ignoring the psychic and mind reader and the advantage their abilities had given them.  “Have you used your gift on people before?”

Bella stuffed her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels, anything to keep herself occupied.  “Umm, not really.”

“Not really? What’s that supposed to mean?”  She was startled by Edward’s voice.  It was the first time he’d spoken to her since she had entered the room.  The aggravated look on his face didn’t help matters.  “You either used it on people or you didn’t.”

She couldn’t help the way his irritation seemed to magnify her own.  She stopped fidgeting and pulled her hands from her pockets.  “Fine.  Yes, I’ve used it on people.”

A silent battle waged between the two, neither wanting to be the first to back down and break eye contact.  After a few tense moments, Jasper spoke up causing both to turn their heads at the same time.  “How so?  What happened?”

Bella paused in thought for a moment.  “The first time it happened, I was in grade school.  I didn’t even realize that it worked on people.  I was on the playground and a kid wouldn’t leave me alone.  I tried to get rid of him and finally got so fed up that I waved my hands, only intending to motion for him to go away.  He stumbled backwards and it scared me so much that I was careful not to do it again.”

“But you did do it again.”  Edward wasn’t questioning her.  His arms were folded, feet planted a shoulder’s width apart, and eyes narrowed in a nonverbal challenge.  “You said ‘first time’, so obviously it happened more than once.”

Bella heard Alice tell Edward to “knock it off” under her breath, but she ignored it.

“Obviously,” she snapped as she mirrored his stance.  “The only other time it happened was a couple of years ago.  I was out with friends and saw someone walk out in front of a car.  He didn’t see it coming and the car was moving too fast, so I pushed him out the way.  He was pretty drunk, and to everyone else it looked like he just stumbled out of the way.”

For a split second, Bella could’ve sworn she saw shame mix with the other emotions playing across Edward’s face, but if it was there it passed quickly.  She felt justified in her actions, and though she’d broken the promise she’d made to herself that she wouldn’t use her power against others, in that case, inaction would’ve been unforgiveable.  She didn’t need his approval to be at peace with her decision.

The click of the door opening interrupted the building tension as all four turned their attention just in time to see a ridiculous looking Emmett attempt to confidently swagger back into the room though it came off closer to a waddle.

Everybody started laughing, even the perpetually moody Edward, at the diversion that Emmett’s bright red protective suit had created.  It looked like a Halloween costume, perhaps a robot of some sort, and Bella had no idea what its purpose was.  Clearly, she wasn’t the only one.

“What the hell is that?” Jasper asked through his laughter.

“Dude, I don’t know what the hell to expect once we turn her loose.  I’m not taking any chances.”  Emmett knocked at his helmet a few times with his fist to demonstrate its sturdiness.

“Where did you even get that thing?” Edward asked as he walked a circle around Emmett, noting that the suit covered every inch of his body.

“You can find anything on the Internet,” Emmett responded sardonically.  “You should see how many options there are for self-defense suits.”

“And this is the one you settled on?” Alice was amused, but unmistakably disapproving of the bright red monstrosity.  “Some Power Rangers reject?”

“Hey now,” he warned.  “Don’t disrespect the suit or I might have to take you down next.”

He turned and walked to the center of the room, the clang of plastic on plastic reverberating off of the walls and doing absolutely nothing for his credibility.  He turned around to face the rest of the group and bumped his fists against each other a couple times before he realized that everybody was still fighting to stifle their laughter.  He pointed one hand—since he didn’t have access to individual fingers—in Edward and Jasper’s general direction.  At least they assumed he was pointing at them, since his face was entirely hidden by the mask and they couldn’t be absolutely certain whom he was addressing.

“I don’t see either of you volunteering to go first, so back off,” Emmett warned.  Jasper continued to shake his head while Edward held his hands up in mock surrender.  Emmett waited a few more minutes before turning his head, and therefore most of his body, toward Bella.  “Ready?”

She fished a rubber band out of her pocket to pull her hair back and out of the way.  As she ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to work out the tangles first, a choking laugh drew her attention behind her where she saw Jasper struggling, Alice smirking, and Edward glaring at both of them. 

Her brow furrowed in confusion before another clank of plastic reminded her that Emmett was waiting.  Finishing the ponytail, she closed the distance, stopping a few feet away.  “Okay, so how do you want to do this?”

“Umm?”  Emmett hedged, clearly not having thought past the self-defense suit.  “I guess just push me?”

“Do you want me to use my hands?” she asked as she steadied her stance, bracing herself.  “That way you can see it coming.”

He thought about it for a moment before nodding.

Bella took a deep breath, releasing it slowly before holding her hands up in front of her.  Concentrating on the center of Emmett’s bright red chest, she began pushing.  She started off slowly to allow him time to get used to it, but eventually she was forcing him backwards.  Everyone watched as his feet struggled for traction, taking stuttering steps backwards until finally he was pinned against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

She eased up and the silence in the room lasted seconds before everyone started talking over each other.  Alice ran over, eyes wide and impressed with the display they had just witnessed.  Jasper and Edward were deep in conversation, hands gesturing wildly as they spoke and made additional plans.

“It didn’t even look like you were doing anything!” Bella turned her attention back to Alice, realizing she had missed nearly everything the girl had been saying.  “I mean, you were just standing there.  It didn’t look like you put any effort into it at all!”

“Damn,” Emmett said with a laugh when he walked up beside Bella.  He was breathing hard from the exertion of trying to fight back.  “That was impressive.  Let’s go again!”

Bella laughed at his excitement as Jasper and Edward stepped closer to grill Emmett.

“So what happened?” Edward asked.

Jasper spoke at the same time.  “What’d it feel like?”

“It felt just like when she was trying to push me earlier,” Emmett explained and tipped his head minutely in an attempt to better see out of the mask.  “Except nobody was touching me.  Strangest fucking sensation.  It was so damn cool—you guys have to try it.”

Bella crossed her arms, holding herself protectively as she listened to everybody discuss her.  She was self-conscious and embarrassed by the attention.

“Try again?” Emmett asked, elbowing Bella and grinning at her.  He wanted to see the full extent of her powers and really put the suit to the test.

“Same thing?” she asked and he shook his head.

Alice laughed as soon as Emmett’s decision registered.  “Why didn’t we bring a video camera?” she asked nobody in particular.

Emmett led Bella back to the center of the room.  He didn’t say anything and she waited for further explanation, curious as to what she was expected to do next.  His smile grew more and more mischievous until he finally spoke.  “Throw me.”

“Excuse me, what?” The words rushed out of her mouth.  She was sure that she hadn’t heard him correctly.

“Try and pick me up and toss me across the room,” he said without an ounce of humor in his voice.  He was completely serious.  Her faced paled at the idea of deliberately tossing someone around.

“I don’t think I can… what if you get hurt?”  She desperately wanted to talk him out of this silly idea.  When she turned around in the hopes that someone would have her back and help convince him that this wasn’t the best plan, she was met with expectant looks from each, including the projected version of Rosalie who had slipped in when she hadn’t been paying attention.  As soon as Rosalie noticed Bella’s attention, the apparition quickly faded and disappeared.

She turned back to Emmett who was still waiting, not about to give in.   “You’re sure?” she asked and he nodded.

“I have this suit and the floors are padded.  I’ll be okay,” he assured her.

She shifted on her feet and took steady breaths, trying to calm herself while simultaneously working up the nerve to do something she never thought she’d do.  She flexed her fingers and felt slightly amused when Emmett tensed, expecting her to attack.  After a few moments, she took one last shaky breath before holding her hands up in front her body just as she had before.  One nervous swallow and a couple flicks of her wrists later and Emmett was airborne and falling to the floor.

He didn’t move for a moment, but before her panic could truly set in, he laughed.  Struggling against the suit, he looked like a turtle on its back trying to get back up.  Finally to his feet again, he stepped closer.  She hadn’t lifted him very high in the air or thrown him far, though it was well within her ability to do so.

“Again,” he said.

Her eyes widened.  “Are you sure? Are you okay?”

“Perfectly fine.”  She could see him grinning through the mask and was instantly relieved.  “You can throw me farther, right?  You weren’t using all of your ability, were you?”

“No, I wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt you.”

“Well, you didn’t.”  He was still grinning, having too much fun with this experiment.  “Let’s try it again.  And don’t take it easy on me.”

He winked and she laughed as she prepared herself again.  This time, she lifted his body higher in the air and sent him flying to the other side of the room until he hit the ground and skidded to a stop just before hitting the opposite wall.  Over and over, they repeated the same cycle.  He’d haul himself up from the ground and walk back to the middle of the room so that she could pick him up and throw him to the floor again.  After the first few tries, she stopped using her hands to forewarn him. 

After nearly an hour of his ass becoming familiar with nearly every inch of the floor, he was exhausted.  He worked the helmet off of his head and stepped closer to Bella.  “Nice work,” he offered.

“Thanks,” she responded, glad that he appeared to have had enough.  Though she couldn’t argue that he had made her laugh and somehow have fun, she still wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea of using her power on people.  The time spent practicing, however, gave her a sense of relief that if she was forced to do so, she could defend herself without physically harming anybody.  “Are we done?”

“Not even close,” Alice’s voice called out from behind her. 

She didn’t know what to do or think when she turned around to see Alice bouncing up and down, while Edward and Jasper held out an iPod and a long piece of black fabric.  The brief moment of relaxation she had felt when she thought she was done for the day vanished.  Nothing she’d seen, heard, or experienced since Alice turned her world upside down had gone as expected, so it shouldn’t have surprised her that they had more planned.  Her mind scrambled to make sense of this new development but continued to draw a blank.

As her eyes scanned each person in the room, she knew she had to trust that they knew what was best.  None of this was new to them like it was her, and she had too much to lose by fighting them each step of the way. 

Steeling her resolve, she took one step forward.  “Okay, what’s next?”

Alice’s grin widened and she quickly snatched the fabric out of Jasper’s hands and danced over to Bella.  “Do you trust me?” she asked as she played with the material.

Bella chuckled as she looked down at Alice’s hands.  “I’m starting to have my doubts.”

Alice rolled her eyes and pushed at Bella’s shoulders to turn her around.  Moments later everything went dark as her vision was obscured by the makeshift blindfold.  If this day had taught her anything, Bella had already learned to expect the unexpected with this group.  She had no idea what she would face next, but she had to have faith that they had her best interests at heart.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As her vision disappeared behind the blindfold that Alice was wrapping around her head, Bella began to panic.  Her fingers clutched at the fabric, pulling it from her eyes before Alice could tie it.

“Wait!” she called out.  “Tell me what we’re doing first.”

Alice gently tugged the blindfold from Bella’s hand, relenting to her request.  “There really isn’t any way for the guys to sneak up on you in this room.”  She waved a hand at the open space for emphasis.  “We’re just going to block your vision and hearing so you won’t know when to expect them.  It’s the best we can do right now to replicate someone sneaking up on you.”

Bella nodded, but was too distracted thinking about how this could go.  Though she’d seen Emmett’s hulking form hit the mats and keep going without pause, she pressed her foot into the padding to determine just how much cushioning it provided.

“Don’t worry,” Emmett said as he pulled off his suit, piece by piece.  “It’s a soft landing.”

Bella couldn’t help the small smile that graced her face at Emmett’s naturally affable manner.  The sound of footsteps coming up behind her caused her to tense slightly, as she was unsure as to whether it was Jasper or Edward.  She had no idea why Edward seemed to loathe her and couldn’t help but be on edge around him.  This new experiment made her extremely nervous, but she trusted Emmett and Jasper to make sure that she’d be okay at all times.  She couldn’t say the same for Edward with any amount of real confidence.  While she was sure that he wouldn’t deliberately be too rough with her while everyone else looked on, that didn’t mean he’d be cautious, either.  She knew that even with the full use of all of her senses, balance wasn’t exactly her strong suit, and there was a good chance she could fall the wrong way and end up getting hurt if those around her weren’t careful.

When she saw Jasper move into her peripheral vision, she relaxed once again and followed his gaze back to Emmett.

“Done with the suit?” he asked rhetorically, chuckling.

Emmett shrugged, now free of the top half.  “It’s like a fucking sauna in this thing,” he complained as he struggled to get a leg free and began to topple sideways before righting himself.

“Then why did you keep it on?  It didn’t look like you really needed it,” Jasper said, laughing harder now.

“I had to get my money’s worth,” Emmett growled as he sat on the ground and struggled with the suit until Alice walked over and started pulling.  As she yanked and jerked at the fabric, loosening it inch by inch, Bella bit her lip in an attempt to stifle her own laughter.    When the second leg finally broke free and sent Alice stumbling backwards, she couldn’t hold back.  Laughter rang out through the room, including Alice’s a moment later once the shock of nearly falling wore off.

The moment of levity was exactly what Bella needed to forget her concerns regarding what she was about to do.  As she looked around, she noticed that even Edward seemed significantly more relaxed than she’d ever seen him, and she held onto the hope that he’d take it easy on her while she was mostly defenseless and entirely at his mercy.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the projected version of Rosalie fading away from sight.  Bella smiled to herself, knowing that as much as Rosalie tried to seem disinterested, she was just as curious as the others.

As soon as Emmett was on his feet, he kicked the suit to the far wall and walked back to the group.

“It’s my turn to kick _your_ ass a little,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at Bella and eliciting another laugh from her.

She stood straighter to meet his challenge.  “We’ll see.”

Alice shook her head in amusement and held the blindfold up once more.  “Ready?”

Bella nodded, and Alice gently tied the fabric into a sturdy knot at the back of her head.  

Jasper stepped closer, paying more attention to the screen on the iPod than anything else as he searched for options that would block the most outside noise.  “Do you have a preference?” he asked.   “Anything you want to listen to?”

“I don’t think it matters.  I’m not exactly going to be paying attention to what’s playing once we get started,” Bella teased in an effort to quell her nervousness.  She could feel her hands starting to sweat and her heart pounding in her ears.  Any more, and she wouldn’t need music to drown out other sounds.  It was already difficult to hear anything beyond the natural rhythm of her racing pulse.

Selecting a playlist, Jasper started the music and walked closer to Bella.  She startled when he placed the device in her hand.  She laughed nervously at her own reaction and tightened her grip around the player.

“Just stick it in your pocket so you don’t drop it,” he instructed just before he handed the earbuds to her, settling one into each of her hands.

Bella placed one then the other into her ear, effectively cutting off one of her most relied upon senses.  The four friends backed away from her, watching as she stood motionless in the center of the room.  Her willingness to comply with their plans was either a sign of total idiocy or incredible trust.  Regardless, her faith in them had earned her a significant amount of respect.

Though logically they knew she couldn’t hear them, their instinct was to stay silent.  They looked from each other to the figure of the frightened girl in the center of the room, trying wordlessly to determine who would start.  The quiet click of the doorknob twisting and opening drew their attention back to the entrance.  Rosalie silently slipped in, shutting the door behind her, and leaned against the wall.  She had no intentions of taking part in this experiment, but she still wanted to see how it played out.

Alice nudged Jasper’s ribs with her elbow and nodded toward Bella, instructing him to take initiative to start, before she turned to join Rosalie so that she, too, could watch.

Jasper rubbed his hand over his face before taking a deep breath and stepping forward.  He debated the best way to begin.  He knew it would be better to start slowly, allowing all of them to ease into the idea of replicating an attack.  He walked in a wide arc until he was standing in front of Bella.  His eyes searched over her entire body as he tried to assess the least invasive way to grab her.   Decision made and resolve firmed, he quickly closed the distance and grabbed her upper arms.

Bella gasped and attempted to jerk her body away, but his grip was too tight.  Her instinct was to physically fight to free herself, so it took a few moments to remember that she should be trying to use her power instead.  Focusing her attention on the mental image of a body in front of her, she forced Jasper backwards.  The strength behind the push was enough to cause him to lose his grip as well as his balance.

She tugged the earbuds out of her ears and pushed the blindfold up just enough that she could peek out from underneath, seeking and quickly finding Jasper.  The immediate relief upon seeing a massive grin on his face—proof that he was uninjured—calmed her.  She had been able to control the amount of force that Emmett had landed with earlier, but being unable to see had prohibited her from doing the same during this test.

She held a hand out to help him up, though it seemed to only be for show as he stood under his own power.  He reached over and swatted at her hand that was still holding the blindfold up, plunging her into darkness once again.  She fumbled to find the earbuds and untangle the wires, readying herself for the next round.

As before, the wait was agonizing, stretching for immeasurable seconds, or perhaps even minutes.  With her compromised senses combined with the feel of anticipation, she couldn’t accurately judge time.  Having a better idea of what to expect, however, had eased her mind considerably.  Instead of thinking about all the ways something could go wrong—falling and getting hurt, falling and injuring someone else, or forcing someone away and not being able to control where or with how much force she used—she instead engaged herself in a guessing game, trying to figure out who would be the next to ‘attack’ her and how it would be done.

She was in the middle of a rather dramatic—and likely impossible—scenario when she felt a shoulder press itself into her gut before lifting her off of the ground.  One of the earbuds popped out, but the adrenaline pumping through her system wouldn’t allow her to focus on the sounds she could now hear.  Again, she formed a mental image, this time of somebody lifting her over his shoulder and focused on the back of his knees.  Within seconds, she had knocked his feet out from under him so that they both tumbled to the ground.  Bella hit the floor with a thud and rolled a few feet across the mats.

The loud guffaw so close to her ear gave away that Emmett was her attacker this time, and she couldn’t help but laugh with him.  When she reached for the blindfold as she had before, he grabbed her wrist and pulled it away.

“Nope, no peeking.”

He was still laughing as he helped her stand and resituate herself, so she knew that he was okay.  As soon as the heavy drum beat and screeching guitars filled her ears again, she realized just how much more disoriented she felt this time, having not had the opportunity to take in her surroundings and assess her actual position in the room.  She didn’t know what distance Emmett had carried her or how far she had rolled once they had tumbled to the ground.  She could’ve been standing inches from the wall for all she knew, or perhaps even right back in the center of the room.

It was an odd sensation, leaving her off-balance and dizzy.  Instead of anticipating the next attack, she was too distracted trying to keep herself upright, and was therefore caught by surprise when a hand covered her mouth while an arm wrapped around her shoulder from behind.

She panicked for a moment before remembering what she needed to do.  She concentrated on the chest she felt pressed against her back, solid and unyielding, and centered all of her focus on the body behind her.  Expecting to simply push somebody away, she was surprised to find herself falling as well.  Whoever it was had such a good grip on her shoulder that he was taking her with him and it had all happened so fast, in the span of seconds from that first touch, that she didn’t have time to react.

They fell to the mats with a crash, and Bella winced as her head bounced off of the body beneath her at an awkward angle.  The earbuds popped out, and if it weren’t for the heavy gasps of two people trying to catch their breath, the room would’ve been deathly silent.

She attempted to push herself up into a sitting position, but found that her body was rendered nearly completely immobile by her ‘attacker’; whoever it was still had his arm wrapped around her like a vice and didn’t appear to be letting go anytime soon.  She could feel that she had landed almost perpendicular with the lower half of her body on the mats and the top half resting on… someone.  She hadn’t figured that part out yet, so she redirected her efforts to removing the blindfold.  

Once she finally freed herself of the black band of fabric, she squinted against the light until her eyes adjusted.  Slowly she searched the room, finding Alice and Jasper whose faces were identical displays of alarm and concern.  She turned her head slightly to see Emmett and Rosalie mirroring those same expressions.  It only took a split second to deduce who had been the one who had brought her down, who she was currently laying on…  and who still held onto her though their demonstration was clearly finished.

Her head fell back in defeat as she tried to catch her breath, all too aware of the steady rise and fall of Edward’s chest beneath her as he attempted to do the same.  The moment Edward realized that he still had her held tightly to his body he loosened his grip, giving Bella the opportunity to push herself up into a sitting position.  By that time, Emmett and Jasper had rushed over and were helping her to stand.

Their words melted together as they both frantically checked that she was okay, and she nodded to let them know that she was.  She turned around and saw that Edward still hadn’t moved, and guilt immediately washed over her.

“Oh my God, are you all right?” she asked, fearing that she’d somehow hurt him by the way she had landed on him.

He stared at the ceiling, not even looking at her as he answered quietly, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I’m so sorry.”  And she truly was.  It was her worst fear, managing to hurt somebody with her power, regardless of how that somebody had treated her.

“I said I’m fine,” he answered tersely as he stood and reached for the bottle of water in Alice’s outstretched hand.  Bella hadn’t even seen Alice appear beside them.

Edward drank half the bottle in one shot then capped it.  “Okay, let’s go again.”

“Maybe we should take a little break,” Jasper suggested with a somber look on his face.  Edward looked at him for a few seconds before nodding his acquiescence.  

The group sat around, mostly silent with the occasional interruption of idle conversation until everyone’s nerves had calmed to the point where they could all continue with the kind of attention required.  The last thing they needed was for everyone to be on edge, make avoidable mistakes, and have somebody truly get hurt.

Once again, Bella found herself in the middle of the room, blindfolded with the iPod blaring.  This time, the guys switched things up.  In addition to one-on-one attacks, Bella found herself trying to fight off two, or sometimes all three of them.  Though initially their group attacks had caused her panic to increase, she found that once she was able to concentrate she could easily handle them in any combination.

As the session began to wind down, the guys realized they hadn’t yet replicated Edward’s attack to see if this was a true weakness for Bella, or if she had simply been caught off-guard.  After a mild argument over who would be the one to repeat the example, Emmett stepped up.

His mind ran over what he remembered seeing before he stepped closer to Bella.  Certain that he wasn’t missing anything, he ran forward and covered her mouth while wrapping his free arm around her.  With little effort, she forced him backwards and broke the hold he had on her.

Once she was ready again, he walked back to where Edward and Jasper were quietly arguing.

“Well, that didn’t work,” he announced, stating the obvious.

“She probably just figured out what to do,” Edward responded, words short and brusque, as he glared at Jasper.

Jasper simply held his up in a conciliatory gesture.  “I still think you should try it before we make any assumptions.  Do whatever it was that you did last time so we can be sure.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary,” he argued.  He wasn’t ready to revisit that moment for a number of reasons, including why his subconscious seemed to not allow him to let go of her.

“Just once more and we call it a night,” Emmett urged.  They were all exhausted, and the sooner they convinced Edward to yield, the sooner they could relax.

Realizing that his friends wouldn’t relent, he turned and stalked away.  “Fine,” he called out curtly.

He stood a few feet behind Bella and rubbed his hands over his face in a useless effort to ease his tension.  He shifted his balance from foot to foot as he tried to recall everything about that first encounter.  With swift steps and forced determination, he walked closer to her and replicated his attack.

Just as before, he felt the pressure on his chest from her attempt to push him away, but she was once again unable to break his grip on her.   His body tensed, awaiting impact, when he felt himself fall backwards but this time they stopped mid-air.  Instead of holding onto her in an attempt to force her to fight him off, he was holding onto her like a life preserver.  Fear coursed through him at the awareness that they were both suspended a few feet off of the ground, and judging by her panicked breaths, she realized this too and was just as surprised.  He had no idea what to do or how long they’d been held in this position, and when he felt his grip start to slip he knew he had seconds to figure it out before he would unwillingly let go and crash to the ground.

Bella was frozen.  She had no idea what was happening, or how she was managing this seemingly impossible feat, but when she felt Edward’s hand slowly slipping from her shoulder she knew she had to snap out of it and react.  As she felt the muscles in his forearm contract against her collarbone with his effort to hang on, she did the only thing she could do—she visualized the two of them lowering to the ground slowly.  While it didn’t quite happen that way in reality, the landing was much softer than the laws of physics would have normally allowed.

Once again, Bella found herself in a familiar position and scrambled to get up, but this time it wasn’t Edward’s hold that kept her on the ground.  This new development had distressed her to the point of being unable to get the muscles in her limbs to support her body.  She was shaking all over, incapable of righting herself.

“What the fuck was that?” she heard Edward ask, but had no idea if his question was rhetorical or not.

She scrambled away and sat on the mats while she continued to compose herself.   She closed her eyes and held her head in her hands as she tried to replay events in her mind until she heard footsteps close in on her.  Slowly looking up, she noticed Emmett towering over her, offering a hand.

His grin was wider than ever and his voice full of wonder.  “Holy shit!  You can fucking levitate?”

“What? No! Maybe? I don’t know,” Bella answered, truly confounded and unable to form a proper response.  If her ability had ever made her feel like a freak before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now.

“It makes sense,” Jasper interrupted.  Bella looked up to see that familiar pensive look on his face.  A quick look around the room showed everyone’s attention was drawn to him, especially Edward, who was following Jasper’s train of thought with rapt attention.  “I mean, you can hold things in the air, right?  Why not people?  Why not _yourself_?”

Feeling like a response was expected from her, Bella simply mumbled, “I guess.”

Alice tilted her head to the side as she studied Bella.  Her look was one of interest and curiosity rather than doubt and suspicion.  “You’ve never done that before?”

Bella shook her head.  “No.”

A smile formed on Alice’s face.  “See?  You’re already figuring out new things about yourself and it’s only been one day!  Just imagine how much more you can do!”

“What I want to know is why it was so easy for you to fight me off and not him.”  Emmett’s voice was full of mock insult—as if his masculinity had been called into question by this difference as he pointed a thumb back to where Edward was still sitting on the floor.

“You weren’t holding onto my shoulder,” Bella answered, and smiled when Emmett’s face registered that he had missed something so obvious.  “I don’t know what you were doing with your hand, but it was easy to move your arm away when I pushed you.  I guess if we try this again I need to remember to focus on the hand, too.”

Bella grew contemplative once again as she replayed the events over and over in her head, still not believing what had transpired.

The group continued to talk as they dissected everything they had discovered that afternoon.  For the most part, Bella was a silent participant, only speaking up when questions regarding her perspective on things were asked.

A doorbell rang, startling her.  She looked around nervously but nobody else seemed bothered.  Alice stared into space for a few moments before blinking twice and hopping up from her seat on the mats.  “Everything looks okay to me, you?” she asked Edward.

He nodded, “Yeah, go ahead and let him up.”

Jasper, sensing Bella’s confusion, leaned over and whispered, “Just checking to make sure it’s actually the delivery guy out there.”

She found herself following everybody to the kitchen where Alice joined them minutes later with bags of food.  She started passing things around, and Bella watched as everyone opened Styrofoam containers and began digging in, starving from the afternoon’s workout.  When she opened hers, she immediately looked up at Alice who simply grinned and tapped her temple.

“You’ll get used to it,” Jasper said with a laugh.  “She decides to ask what we want, sees our answers, and then forgoes actually asking.  It’s either really annoying, or really convenient.”

Alice narrowed her eyes at Jasper who put an arm around her, the action apparently enough to appease her.  Bella couldn’t help but laugh, and wondered how long it would take to get used to even the minor changes in her everyday life due to each person’s gift.

They all chatted as they ate, Bella finding herself more of a listener as she sat back and observed the group dynamic.  The five friends were obviously very close, more like a family, and she wondered if she’d ever get to the point of feeling like more than just a spectator.

After they’d finished eating and nearly had everything cleaned up, Bella heard a chair screech across the floor and turned her head just in time to see Emmett darting off as he yelled out, “Finally!”

She looked around in confusion and heard Rosalie ask, “He found it?”

Edward nodded, and seconds later Emmett returned with a laptop.

“Tricky bastards this time,” he teased.  “Had to make me work for it.”

Bella watched as he typed away until a triumphant grin spread across his face.  He turned the laptop around so that everyone else at table could see.  Confusion reigned as Bella took in the plain white house on the screen.

“Where is it?” Jasper asked.

Emmett rattled off an unfamiliar address and everyone but Bella nodded in understanding.

“So about twenty minutes away?” Alice asked, her eyes still focused on the image.

Emmett spun the laptop back around and fiddled with it some more before turning it toward Rosalie.  “That looks like a good place to start,” he said as he pointed to something on the screen.

She shook her head and pointed to a different spot.  “That looks better… more cover just in case there are neighbors.”

Nothing about this conversation made sense to Bella, no matter how hard she tried to follow it.  Once again, Jasper’s ability to read Bella’s emotions reminded him that she needed more explanation.  They’d become accustomed to speaking so cryptically as a group, it was hard to break the habit and remember to take the time to stop and clarify for someone new.

“Emmett found the house where the Volturi have their people hiding.  They’re looking for a spot nearby for Rosalie to project herself so we can see who they have there, how many people, maybe listen in on some conversations and figure out what they’re planning.”

This information suddenly made everything seem more real, and Bella’s stomach churned.  Jasper put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

If she hadn’t known about Rosalie’s talent, she never would’ve noticed anything.  The real Rosalie continued to sit with the group and take part in conversation as they discussed how to handle things once the weekend was over and they had to leave the safety and solitude of the house.  The occasional interruptions to update the group on what her projection could see as it made its way inside and moved around the house were the only things to give her away.

At some point, late in the evening, adrenaline spiked when Rosalie cut into conversation to say that two people had entered the house.  By that point, she had already investigated the entire structure and had worked with Emmett to create a fairly detailed map that not only included the layout, but listed their surveillance and security equipment as well.

“Who is it? Anyone we know?” Emmett asked as he continued filling in their makeshift blueprints.

Rosalie shook her head as she stared unseeingly at a spot on the floor in front of her feet, her brow furrowed in concentration.  “Nobody I’ve ever seen before.  They’re talking about someone coming in to take over for them, but they haven’t said any names yet.”

Rosalie’s insight opened the floodgates of Alice’s visions.  Bits and pieces began to work their way into her mind, each of them too fuzzy and mostly indecipherable.  

“Because they don’t know,” Alice said with certainty as her visions flipped to one after another.  The entire group was silent, watching Alice’s glazed expression and waiting for her to speak.  “They were deliberately left in the dark to mess with my visions.  They sent people I don’t know and gave them minimal information to stall me.”

Edward rested his elbows on his knees and closed his eyes, trying to make sense of what Alice was seeing.  As the images shifted, he realized what was happening.  “They aren’t going to make any decisions until the last possible minute.  They have a bunch of people working their way closer, but haven’t given the order as to who is coming and when.”

“Damn it,” Alice grumbled.  “You’re right.  They have everyone in this holding pattern so everything is hazy right now.  I can’t see what’s going to happen because _they_ don’t know what’s going to happen.  I see a half a dozen different people waiting on the call that’ll tell them to go back or move forward.”

As they discussed all of the possible outcomes based on the new information provided by Rosalie and Alice, it was determined that until further notice, someone would accompany Bella everywhere she went.  The guys hashed out schedules to make sure someone was available to walk her to the door of each of her classrooms, and be there when the class let out.  Until they could determine how far the Volturi were willing to go once they definitively found out about her, Bella was not to be alone in public.

As she climbed into bed that night, Bella laid awake, staring at the ceiling.  Had it really only been a day?  She had learned so much about herself and the world around her that she found the time frame to be unbelievable.  She was left with many questions and few answers, but above all she had found a new sense of confidence.  All her life she had used her ability for meaningless activities.  Even as Jasper and the others had tried to explain the extent of her capabilities, she’d found it all so hard to comprehend.  Her time in that room, however, flipped her perception of herself upside down.  Though she still felt that they were exaggerating about just how powerful she was, she couldn’t deny that she was stronger than she’d ever thought before, and held onto the hope that she was as strong as she’d need to be once all hell inevitably broke loose.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The looming threat that was Monday hung over Bella’s head like a storm cloud.  As time ticked away, she grew concerned over leaving safety of the fortress she now called home.  Since arriving back in Washington, one thing after another had left her feeling unprepared and expecting the worst. It seemed that whenever some sort of resolution had presented itself, a new source of conflict appeared.

After the weekend she would no longer have the anonymity that accompanied ignoring Alice in public.  She had come to rely on that simple source of protection; now, somebody would be with or near her at all times, so it was down to a matter of when, not if, she would be confronted by the Volturi.  

She laid in bed the night after her first training session wondering which was the lesser of two evils: not having faced anyone from this organization but terrified by simply the idea of them, or having some sort of personal experience to draw from in order to gauge how much of the threat was real. 

She finally resigned herself to not having a choice in the matter, and instead thought about she’d learned that afternoon.  There was no doubt that her ability could be used to move or hold people—she’d done it before, after all—but never in her wildest dreams had she considered the possibility that her power could be directed at herself.  Though her ability had always been kept hidden, she was comfortable with it, and until she’d entered that room thought she had a pretty good grasp on the extent of it.  The fact that in just one day those people were able to open up new doors had her reeling, questioning everything she had ever thought about herself.  For the moment, the pendulum of her emotions swung more towards terrified than excited over that kind of uncertainty.

And while she still didn’t understand why Edward’s reaction was so hostile when she attempted to downplay her potential value to the Volturi, she could now see why he would question her ignorance.  This was a world they were all comfortable in and had experience with.  They understood things that she didn’t, and also knew that the boundaries she’d placed upon her talent were self-imposed.  So while it had never occurred to her to truly test her limits, the idea that someone wouldn’t seemed foreign to them.

With that thought, she silently slid out of bed and tiptoed to the center of the room where there was plenty of space around her.  It was time to test those boundaries a little.

At first she simply stood there and stared at her feet, silently laughing at herself and the mental image of how ridiculous she must’ve looked.  A dozen different television specials flashed through her mind of various “magicians” attempting this same thing, albeit with significantly more theatrics and showmanship.

For a moment she wondered if any of them might’ve actually been legitimate then brushed the thought aside.  It didn’t seem likely; it’d be too risky to flaunt that kind of power so publicly.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to recall what had prompted her that afternoon.  She didn’t think it was a truly conscious decision, but it was clear that some part of her had known it was something worth trying.  Her stomach twisted in fear and nervousness—this action was symbolic of everything she didn’t know about herself.  The revelation of just how much more she could do added significantly more pressure for her to succeed at everything they would throw at her in the future.  Though she knew they would find some of her true limits over time, she didn’t want to disappoint them or herself.

Focusing on her feet, it took a great deal more concentration than anything else she had ever done, but she did manage to lift herself a few inches from the ground and hold her position.  It was mentally exhausting, however, so she didn’t maintain her levitation for long.

Her heels hit the carpet with a thud and a stinging sensation spread over her feet and ankles.  With no shoes on, her joints were forced to absorb the impact.  She shook one foot then the other in an attempt to will the sting away.

She wanted to keep trying, though, so she pushed herself onto her toes and leaped from one foot to the other.  Ordinarily this move should have led to hop of only a foot, but with the right amount of concentration, she ended up a few feet away and with a much softer landing.

Bella couldn’t stop the smile or the giggle that slipped out.  Like a child with a new toy, she turned around to face the expanse of empty floor and did it again.  Over and over, she hopped from one side to the other with moves that made her appear more graceful than she’d ever been, but the action made her feel off balance as if her brain was telling her body that it should’ve stopped seconds earlier.

As she grew more comfortable, she attempted to leap farther and push her new skills to their limit.  From what she could tell, she was unable hold herself up indefinitely but she could certainly bend the laws of physics in her favor a bit.

In a particularly daring move, she jumped towards the chair and used the edge of the seat to push herself upwards.  As before, her body went just a little farther than it logically should have.  Her landing was once again rough, so she decided it was probably time to call it quits.  It was getting late, and she was both physically and mentally exhausted.

As she curled up under the covers and began drifting off, she thought she heard movement outside her door.  She tilted her head to hear better but was met with nothing but silence.  Eventually she was too tired to care and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Waking up on Sunday morning, she felt a pit of dread in her belly at the realization that it would be her last day of obscurity.  As such, she was in no hurry to escape the safe haven she’d found in the cocoon of her blankets.  

She was relieved to discover that there were no expectations of her at all that day.  She’d already had too many self-revelations that she needed to come to terms with before adding more.  Everybody needed a break, so the afternoon was spent just being normal.  Given that all of her encounters and experiences thus far had been anything but typical, it seemed odd to Bella to see these five behaving as typical twenty-somethings, going about their lives and dealing with the mundane tasks that every household dealt with.

But even mundane was accented with a bit of exceptional, as Bella soon learned.  She was reading a book when Emmett walked in holding a Trivial Pursuit box over his head. She shook her head in amusement; she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to play any game in this house.

It didn’t take long to find out, though.  With great fanfare, Emmett lowered the box onto the table and shot pointed looks at each person in the room.  “All right, whose ass am I kicking tonight?”

Alice walked over and sat on the floor at the coffee table, nonverbally announcing her plans to take part.  “Did you forget that _I_ won last time?”

Emmett intentionally ignored her and directed his attention to Edward.  “You’re playing.  You cheated last time—I should’ve been ahead of you.”

“We all cheat, Emmett,” Edward said slowly, as if explaining something to a child, earning a feigned glare.  “That’s what makes it fair.”

Once again ignoring the opposition, he turned to Bella with a raised eyebrow, a silent dare.  “What about you, David Blaine?”

Bella didn’t acknowledge the nickname and met his challenge with a scoff.  “Against you three? I think I’ll pass.  What the hell am I gonna do? Push my piece around the board without touching it?  Oh no, wait… maybe I can drop the wedges into the slots from across the room!”

Everybody in the room broke into laughter, shocking the hell out of Bella when even Edward and Rosalie joined in.

The game was exactly as Bella had suspected it would be; Emmett would flash on answers to even the most obscure questions, Edward read everyone’s minds—Bella’s excluded—and Alice would ‘see’ somebody answering correctly if she got hers wrong.  They’d even had to institute their own rule that turns were forfeited after five correct questions to prevent a single person from dominating the entire game without giving the others a chance.  It was like an endless cycle of rock-paper-scissors with the players relying more on luck to land on the right colors than finding any real challenge with the questions presented to them.

That was when she wished she’d considered playing, especially if they were allowed to use their abilities freely.  It would have taken minimal effort on her part to make sure the die kept her opponents blocked from earning the colors they needed to win the game.  She’d have to remember that the next time they brought the game out to play.

By the time she headed to her room that night, Bella had completely forgotten to worry about what Monday would bring.  Unfortunately, the moment she started gathering her things to prepare for the morning, it all came rushing back.  Her sleep was restless, broken by periods of waking up to check the clock.  By the time she woke for good, just ten minutes before her alarm was set to ring, she was more drained than ever.

She rode to class with Emmett—Jasper and Alice followed behind them in a separate car—and tried not to show just how nervous she was.  The moment they pulled past the gates to leave their well-protected private property, Emmett noticed the shift in Bella’s already tense demeanor.  He didn’t need a talent like Jasper’s to know what she was feeling.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured her.  “Nothing’s going to happen to you.  We don’t know if anyone will even show up, and if they do, they aren’t going to make a scene.  Force is their last hope, so you’re safe when it comes to that.  It’s a non-issue right now.  If someone does turn up, they’ll just try and talk to you… try to convince you that their way is better, that they can offer you more.  You’re more useful to them if they can get you to go with them willingly.”

“That’s not likely to happen,” Bella mumbled, unable to look at Emmett.

He knew that others in his family—because that’s what they were, regardless of genetics—still weren’t one hundred percent convinced about Bella yet, but he had no doubts of her sincerity or where her loyalty would lie when the time came to choose sides.

“I know.  But they’re going to try repeatedly.  Some of them can be pretty convincing, very manipulative with their words, telling you what you want or need to hear.  They aren’t going to back down easily.  Some can even force a person’s loyalty, but I have a feeling that’s going to be wasted on you.”  He looked over at her with a grin and earned a small one from her in return.  It seemed that knowing that her logic couldn’t be tampered with offered her a nominal amount of ease.

“How long will they try?” she asked, her voice small as if afraid of the answer.

A smirk slowly spread across Emmett’s face.  “They’ve been trying for years with the rest of us and haven’t succeeded yet.”

He hoped that Bella would realize that her time wasn’t necessarily limited to days, weeks, or even months, and that she would be comforted by the fact that these people could be held off indefinitely by what essentially amounted to a bunch of college kids.

It was minutes later that Bella questioned what Emmett didn’t say.  “What have they tried with you guys?  Have they attempted to force you yet?”

Emmett’s cheerful mood started to slip as his mind played a highlight reel of all of their near misses.  He cleared his throat in an attempt to buy a few extra seconds.  “They have.”

“Wha—” Bella started but was abruptly cut off.

“Don’t worry about that right now.  It’s nothing you’ll have to deal with for a while and we’ll tell you everything soon.  Let’s just get through today,” he instructed before switching the line of conversation to something he hoped would be more reassuring to her.  “I’m going to sit outside your classrooms this afternoon, just in case.  The others will be coming and going, but you’ll always have at least one of us nearby.  You won’t be alone.”

Bella looked at him in confusion.  “Don’t you have classes you need to go to?”

“No,” Emmett said, shaking his head as he pulled into the parking lot.  “I’ve already graduated so my days are free.”

“So you have to sit around babysitting a hopeless twenty-three year old instead of doing something productive with your day?” 

Emmett simply laughed at her self-deprecation and pulled into a parking space.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be plenty productive.  I have my laptop with me to do real work and you’ll only be in class a few hours today.  It’s not that bad.”

At the mention of ‘real work,’ Bella realized she had no idea what Emmett—or any of them, for that matter—did if they had already graduated.  Before she could ask, a knock at the window startled her.

She turned her head just as Alice opened the door to drag her out of the car and toward the building where they both had classes.  She relaxed upon recognition of the familiar face and followed.

Once Bella was safely in her classroom, she tried to disregard everything except the lecture.  She’d been promised that if anything happened they would text her to give her fair warning before stepping out of the classroom.  It was only the promise of no surprises that allowed her focus on her professor.  Her phone, however, never left her hand, and more than once she could have sworn she felt it vibrate, but the screen showed nothing but the changing numbers marking the time.

When the class let out, she walked nervously into the hall to find that Rosalie had joined Emmett.  For a brief moment Bella was able to see a more carefree, friendly side of Rosalie until she came closer and Rosalie realized she and Emmett were no longer alone.

“One down, two to go!” Emmett announced, referring to Bella’s schedule for the day as he stood up and wrapped an arm around each girl’s shoulders.  His grin was infectious, and more than a few heads turned to see him swagger down the hall.

“So, umm,” Bella stammered, “has anyone shown up yet? Are they here?”

Emmett squeezed Bella’s shoulder to offer some amount of reassurance.  “Nope, and Alice hasn’t had any visions.  Not to say they won’t, but right now we’re still in the clear.”

Bella simply nodded.  She was so lost in thought that she had no idea how she’d made it to her next class.  Once again, she was more focused on the phone in her hand than the day’s topic of discussion.  Every time she saw movement outside the little window in the door, her head jerked in that direction.  Halfway through the lecture, more than a few of her neighbors were giving her funny looks so she made a conscious effort to appear less paranoid.

Alice met up with Bella for the third and final class of the day.  Upon noticing that having a link to her support system seemed to relax Bella, she tried to act unaffected even though she too was feeling nervous.  She was confident that all of the new information they had gathered would help her glimpse into the future once a decision was reached, but a small part of her worried that something would cause her to miss it.  

When scenes started flickering in her head, she felt a huge sense of relief at no longer being blinded.  She was happy that her gift was proving itself useful once again, but until she could make sense of the images and force them to come with more detail, she would be concerned about what they would soon be facing.

She was too focused to notice that Bella was trying to get her attention, forcing her friend to wait an agonizingly slow two minutes before she broke free from her vision.

She looked over at Bella and mouthed ‘you’ll be okay’ before she slipped her phone out and began texting.  She finished and turned her attention back to the professor in an effort to appear as though she was paying attention.  Moments later, with her phone shielded by her desk, she read the incoming message and began responding, completely oblivious to Bella’s growing impatience with the lack of answers.

Finally, Alice set her phone to the side and held her index finger in the air to tell Bella to wait.  She began scribbling on a sheet of paper while Bella craned her neck to read but failed to see what was being written.

Alice wasted no time in passing the note over to Bella, and under other circumstances would have laughed at the flashback to junior high the action triggered.  She knew that the information _this_ note contained was considerably more significant than which girl liked which boy, or whether said boy was going to ask said girl to the dance.

Bella unfolded the sheet and focused on Alice’s hasty scrawl.

_One of them will be waiting outside when we leave.  Emmett and Rosalie are still there and Jasper and Edward are on their way.  They know what’s going on.  I’ll tell you more when class is over._

Bella had to lay the paper on her desk in order to read anything past the first line; her hands were too shaky to continue otherwise.  Alice reached across and squeezed Bella’s forearm in an effort to be supportive, but it did little to stave off the panic that was rapidly welling up inside of her.

A hundred scenarios ran through Bella’s mind in the short twenty minutes that remained in the class.  As soon as students began clearing out, Alice pulled Bella to the side and began explaining as much as she could as quickly as possible in hushed tones.

“Listen to me, you’re going to be fine,” Alice began.  There’s only one of them here and he isn’t going to hurt anyone.  He’ll try and convince you to work with them, but if you can stay calm things won’t get heated—he can’t risk causing a spectacle.”

Bella’s breathing was ragged, and if she didn’t get control of herself soon she might hyperventilate or pass out completely.

“I don’t think I can do this,” she said, her voice pleading for some alternate plan of action.

Alice attempted to guide Bella out of the room by her elbow while encouraging her.  “Of course you can.  And you’ll feel so much better once it’s over, but it has to come from you.  If you can speak to him yourself, it’ll be over quicker.  We’ll stay right beside you to back you up, but he has to see that we aren’t making decisions for you.”

Bella took two steps without thinking then stopped when she realized that Alice was directing her out into the hall.

“Just… give me a minute, okay?” she pled.  

Alice patiently waited while Bella took deep measured breaths to prepare herself.  As soon as she appeared steady, Alice looked at Bella imploringly.  Bella closed her eyes and nodded, acknowledging that she was ready to face whatever was waiting for her outside the door.

Students were everywhere and it took her a moment to find her new friends in the crowd.  As she watched strangers laugh, joke, and yell in the halls, she wondered how it was possible that they could all be so oblivious and unaffected while her entire world felt as if it was on the verge of crashing down around her.

“So, this is her?” an unfamiliar man questioned.  The eagerness in his voice was matched by the expression on his face.  He pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and untangled the arms that had been crossed in front of his chest.   As he moved forward, Bella could sense bodies closing in to stand protectively around her.

“She isn’t interested, Felix.”  Jasper’s tone of voice was a warning that went largely ignored.

 “How do you know? She has no idea what I have to say.  She could change her mind, you know?” He was frighteningly calm, and every word seemed to be chosen for the sole purpose of taunting his captive audience.

Standing taller, Bella managed to rally enough false confidence to speak up.  “I can’t imagine anything that you have to say would interest me, so perhaps we should all just move along.”

Felix threw his head back and laughed.  “I can only imagine the horror stories they’ve been scaring you with.  I assure you, we can offer many remarkable opportunities that you won’t find anywhere else.”

Bella hadn’t had enough time to talk strategy with Alice, but hoped her friend was right.  Wanting to get this confrontation over sooner rather than later, she steeled herself and gave Felix his opening.

“What can you offer me?” she asked.

By the way that Felix appeared to be stunned silent, Bella guessed that he hadn’t expected her to comply so quickly and was most likely hopeful that she would be easily swayed.  He wasn’t the only person to react from Bella’s abrupt change in attitude.  

She noticed Edward stiffen from the corner of her eye and risked a glance over to see him fuming and shooting her a reproachful look.  At the same time, she felt Alice squeeze her hand—a hand she hadn’t been aware that Alice was holding—as if to tell her she was on the right track, and saw that Edward had regained his composure.  She could only guess that the message Alice was communicating with her nonverbal gesture had met his approval. 

“We’re extremely powerful.  We can offer you a level of protection that is incomparable to what anyone else can.”  It was clear that he was referring to the well-guarded compound Bella had recently moved into, but she didn’t respond.  “We can give you an outlet for your talent, a way to use it to help others, to achieve a level of success you never dreamed was possible.”

He paused for a moment to assess her, expecting her to argue or question him.  When she didn’t, he continued.  “We are unmatched… politically, economically…  If you come with us, you can have everything you want out of life.”

Though she saw right through his charade, Bella understood how easily someone could fall into their trap, especially somebody who was just as power and money hungry as they were.  She wondered if the life he offered would have tempted her had she not known this organization’s actual motives beforehand.  He would have easily preyed on her fears of her power being discovered—the security of being hidden and protected might have been enough to lure her.

“Everything I want out of life?” she asked, her facial expression giving nothing away.  

He grinned, sensing a win.  “Anything you want, we can give it to you.”

“I want to get my degree.  I want to find a job that I go to five days a week.  I want a desk with pictures of friends tacked to a corkboard and a quirky little cup to hold pens.  I want an apartment or maybe a house that I have to clean, take out the trash, do my laundry…”

Felix’s face contorted in suspicion, his eyes narrowed as he tried to figure her out and Bella felt a small amount of pride at being able to throw him off of his game.

After a short pause for dramatic effect, she finished.  “I want to be normal.  I don’t need or want anything you have to offer.  It would only strip me of the things I _do_ want.”

She had once again stunned him into silence and took three steps back in retreat and she watched his eyes appraising her before he spoke again.  “So what can you do? What’s your talent?”

Bella chuckled humorlessly and tossed her head back to look at the ceiling, no longer feeling the need to keep an eye on him.  “Maybe you should’ve started with that question.  Who knows, it may be nothing important enough to warrant this kind of attention.  You might be wasting your time trying to recruit me.”

Alice stepped up to Bella and placed a hand on her back, urging her away from the circle.  She looked back at Jasper who simply said “go” before turning back to face Felix.  She nodded and began leading Bella down the hall.

They hadn’t made it far before Bella noticed that nobody was following them.  She turned to see the other three standing in a semi-circle around Felix.  Nobody appeared to be speaking; it was simply a stare down.

“They’ll be right behind us, they’re giving us a head start,” Alice explained.  She paused for a moment and without breaking stride, looked over at Bella with a grin.  “You did so well back there.  Really.”

Bella was too focused on not tripping over her own feet to respond.  The farther away they walked, the faster the realization of what she had just done began to hit her.  Adrenaline was now coursing through her veins as a result of her retrospection.

They made it outside and stepped away from the direct path of the door.  Bella wanted to continue moving, to get as far away as possible, and couldn’t understand why they would stop there.

“Alice, shouldn’t we keep moving?  He might come after us.”

Alice shook her head.  “We’ll go in just a minute.  He won’t come this way, don’t worry.”

Seeing Alice so blasé after everything that had happened, Bella couldn’t help but be envious of that confidence.  Instead, she paced and fidgeted then startled when the door swung open behind her.

For the first time, she actually relaxed at seeing Edward. 

“Come on,” he instructed and continued straight to the parking lot.

Both girls followed as Alice looked at her watch and teased, “Took you long enough.”

He ignored Alice’s attempt to make light of the situation and took the shortest route to the parking lot.  He didn’t slow his stride which forced Bella to jog a few steps every so often just to keep up.  She didn’t know how Alice managed.

All three quickly piled into Edward’s car and sped off.

“Okay, so what did you find out?  What was he thinking?” Alice asked from the passenger seat.  

Bella leaned forward to make sure she didn’t miss a word.

“Demetri is here with him, that’s how he managed to find her so fast,” Edward began.  He was clinical and objective, as if simply reciting a list of facts.

Alice nodded as she looked straight ahead.  “That’s what I figured.  I didn’t see him, but there was no way Felix could’ve found her so quickly after the decision was made without Demetri tracking.”

They discussed it so casually that Bella couldn’t help but recognize just how experienced they were in these types of situations.  They were veterans of this game.

“They already know a lot about her.  They figured out which apartment was hers and hacked into the complex’s computer system to get basic information.”

“I’m right here,” Bella interrupted, feeling irritated that she was simply a spectator rather than participant in this conversation.  “You can include me in this conversation too, you know.”

Her eyes caught Edward’s in the rear view mirror where they challenged his for a few moments before he turned his attention back to the road.

With a sigh, he continued.  “After they got your information from the complex, they hacked the school for more.”

“Do they really not know what I can do?” she asked.  Felix’s question had truly surprised her.  She’d assumed they knew everything about her power. 

“They know,” he answered.  “They just don’t know the extent of it.  Demetri is the one that found you, in a sense.  He can track people by their energy even though he can’t tell the exact nature of their abilities—he sensed you in the area and could tell that you were powerful.  From what I picked up, they yanked him out of here as soon as they realized he’d found you so they could work around Alice’s visions.  She knows him, we’ve dealt with him before, and they knew she’d see what he was up to.  It would’ve been quicker if he stayed, but they wanted to try to keep us in the dark, so they decided to risk it with strangers who would need more time to pinpoint your location.”

Bella listened intently, absorbing every word and wondering how in the hell she ended up in the center of all of this drama.

“Yeah, well, they got around me but not you,” Alice said as she looked over at her brother with a proud grin.

Bella scrunched her forehead as she considered Alice’s words.  Edward was the one that had first learned about her? That made his behavior around her was even more confusing.

Alice looked over her shoulder and laughed at Bella’s expression.  “I guess we didn’t tell you how we found out about you, huh?”

“No,” Bella responded.  “And so much has been going on that I didn’t even think to ask.”

“We knew Demetri had been hanging around—they send people out every so often in the hopes that they’ll finally get us on their side.  When he suddenly disappeared without trying to confront any of us, it was too suspicious.  Obviously, they pretty much blinded me but we were all searching.  Edward was the one that overheard the others talking about you.  He picked up a few details but since they didn’t have much to go on, neither did we.  It was pure luck that I saw you that day.” Bella watched Edward as he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel; he was clearly uncomfortable with her knowing that he was the one who had initiated the search.

Bella sat back in her seat as she stared out the window.  It seemed like ages ago that Alice had startled her on that first day of class.  Looking back, it was funny how she’d only been concerned with disguising her powers and worried that if anyone found out she’d be labeled a freak amongst her peers.  

“Anyway,” Edward continued, “they know— _think_ —that you’re telekinetic.  I’m not sure how.  That didn’t really cross Felix’s mind back there… perhaps one of the other psychics they have working for them have picked up on it, but right now the total scope of your talent is a grey area for the Volturi.  They know you’re powerful from the read Demetri got on you, but they have no clue, as far as I can tell, that you’re actually psychokinetic.” 

Alice began laughing hysterically, earning shocked looks from Edward and Bella. “Can you imagine if Felix knew? If he had found out?  He would’ve tried _so_ much harder.  They’ll be so pissed when they find out what she actually is and that Felix just let her walk away like that.”

Images worked their way into Alice’s head of the exact scenario she was just imagining.  Bella watched as Alice’s chuckles died down and noticed the car slowing as Edward began to pay more attention to whatever he was seeing in Alice’s head.

Matching grins simultaneously spread across their faces while Bella waited for an explanation.

“Do you know when?” Edward asked.

“No,” Alice answered with regret.  “I’ll keep checking, though.  There weren’t any obvious indicators in that vision.”

“When what?” Bella asked.  She scooted up to the edge of her seat, seatbelt long forgotten, and looked at Alice from the space allotted by the center console.  “What did you see?”

“If we can keep the psychokinetic thing a secret, you’re going to confuse the hell out of them one day,” Alice responded smugly.  Though she wouldn’t feel completely confident until her visions covered a larger window of time, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit of anticipation at watching the Volturi scramble to figure out why Bella was immune to so many of their powers.

“If they don’t find out,” Edward began before pausing to consider how to word his thoughts, “when the day comes that they take bolder action, you’re going to neutralize all of the gifts they’ll be relying on most.  They aren’t going to know what do to.”

Bella sat back in her seat and didn’t speak again the entire trip.  She barely paid attention to anything Edward and Alice were saying to each other.  Fortunately, they seemed to recognize that she needed time to process everything and didn’t try to engage her.  The only thing Bella could focus on was that from the little she’d been told, it sounded like she’d be required to single-handedly eliminate the threat posed by an unknown number of the Volturi’s most dangerous members.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It was strange how quickly the very thing she feared became routine for Bella.  Each morning on campus she saw Felix hanging around, usually reading a book or scribbling notes in order to blend in with the hundreds of passing students while he kept a close eye on her.  The first day she was overcome with the same blinding nervousness she had felt before her confrontation with him, but with each progressive day the tension lessened.  There was comfort in predictability.

He was always in the same spots, depending on what time it was and which direction she would be headed.  It was obvious in the way that he was always within view no matter where she was on campus that, in the Volturi’s research on her, they had obtained a copy of her class schedule when they hacked into the system.  Her eyes would constantly seek him out, unable to feel at ease until she knew exactly where he was so that she wouldn’t be caught off guard.  Often her chaperone of the moment would distract her, not allowing her to dwell, but some were better than others… and one didn’t have to try at all.

Emmett would often draw attention to himself—loud and boisterous by nature, it couldn’t be helped—which, by extension, drew attention to Bella.  She was often too preoccupied with her attempts to shy away or begging him to tone it down to think too much about the pair of eyes that followed her every move.  On Jasper’s shifts, Alice would join them and chatter about meaningless topics that aided in distraction.

But the couple of times that Edward led her to or from class, the trips were completely wordless.  He made no attempt to engage her, though she noticed that he often seemed as if there was something he wanted to say.  He didn’t need to speak to distract her—his mere presence sent her mind running in multiple directions as she tried to figure him out.  He had baffled her from the start with his open hostility, but the revelation that he’d instigated the search for her was in complete incongruity to her initial assessment of him.  Had she been asked after that first day, she would’ve said that he must have reluctantly gone along with Alice and Jasper’s plan to bring her into their fold.  Now, the knowledge that he was the one who had made the discovery that set everything into motion left her unable to decipher him at all.

When Friday arrived, a sense of relief brightened Bella’s attitude.  She had expected to see Emmett waiting for her where she had left him outside of her thesis advisor’s office an hour prior, so the sight of Edward sitting there with his elbows on his knees as he played with his phone made her stop short.  Just as she began walking again, he looked up, then stood.  His face gave nothing away, and her inability to read his mood made her tense.

She relaxed a bit when she detected a few nervous habits—running a hand through his hair, shuffling his feet, slouched posture—and walked to him with a little more certainty in her steps.

“Hi,” she said, taking the initiative to break their habitual awkward silence early.

“Um, Emmett had to run to a meeting.”  He didn’t seem to be finished, regardless of the drawn out pause, so Bella simply waited for him to continue.  “So are you done here?  Or do you still have more to do on campus?”

Absolutely nothing about their discussion should’ve been uncomfortable, and yet that was exactly how it felt.  They were completely inept when it came to normal conversation with one another due to their shaky start.  Though they seemed to have reached an unspoken truce, they still had difficulty trusting each other.

“No, I’m done here.  We can leave unless there’s something you need to do.”

She hitched her bag up onto her shoulder just for something to do besides stand there and wait for him to answer.  When he started to direct her down the hall, they shuffled awkwardly around each other and once again fell into silence.

As they stepped outside, Bella threw her head back to bask in the sunlight.  It felt like forever since she’d been able to enjoy daylight that wasn’t obscured by heavy cloud cover.  When she opened her eyes, she remembered where she was and immediately flushed with embarrassment over her display, noticing Edward waiting for her up ahead.  One look at the odd expression on his face—studious, bewildered, and somehow warm—combined with the uncomfortable feeling of him trying once again to read her mind was enough for her to dodge his gaze.

“Sorry,” she mumbled when she caught up to him and they began walking side by side.  “I didn’t realize how much I took sunshine for granted when I lived in Florida.”

“It’s okay,” he said, a light chuckle in his voice.

She chanced a look at him to see him watching the ground just ahead of his feet, the slightest hint of a smile threatening to show itself.

They continued their trek across campus, the silence between them not nearly as uneasy as before.  The small shift between the two kept Bella’s mind so occupied that she almost missed Felix in his usual spot.  In fact, the only thing that alerted her was a low grumble from Edward as he used his hand at her back to urge her to move faster.  She looked at him in confusion and followed his gaze over to the bench where Felix was sitting with a textbook—his standard prop—sitting open on his lap and a cocky smirk on his face.

She wasn’t sure what prompted her to do it, but she was tired of seeing Felix day after day seeming to enjoy her discomfort.  Looking directly at him, she lifted one hand and waved it dramatically, as sarcastic and insolent as she could manage.  Her blatant and shameless display drew the attention of a number of her fellow students who all looked over at the bench.  She smiled smugly when she saw Felix shift uncomfortably under the scrutiny. 

Edward exerted more pressure against her back and she looked at him to see him focused straight ahead.  As soon as they had put a fair amount of distance between themselves and Felix, Edward looked at Bella and asked with quiet criticism, “What was that about?”

“What?” Bella asked, confused by his reaction.  “Waving?”

“Yes. Waving.”

They had made it to the car and climbed in and Edward peeled out of the parking lot moments later.  Bella buckled her seat belt, feeling annoyed by Edward’s reaction.  “I was tired of him making me feel like a zoo animal all week… I wanted him to feel just as uncomfortable.  Let him know that I’m watching him, too.”

He glanced over at her, his expression disbelieving. 

“What?” she asked, feeling defensive.

He shook his head.  “Nothing.”

She shifted her body to face him more directly.  “No, that wasn’t nothing.  I’m not an idiot.  You clearly have more to say.”  Her temper grew when she felt the now familiar discomfort of somebody trying to get past her natural shield.  “And stop doing that.”

“Then stop blocking me!”  His irritation spiked at his gift being rendered completely useless around her.

The car sped through the streets as the two squared off inside.  Bella paid no attention to the houses and trees racing past her window.  “You _know_ I don’t know how.”  She hated to admit to any weakness, even if it wasn’t much of a secret.

“No, I don’t know that.”  His tone was abrupt and he didn’t even bother to look at her as he spoke.

“What the hell are you talking about?  Did we not already establish that I have no clue how I’m doing it?”

They were pulling up to the gate at the house so Edward didn’t answer right away, but as soon as they were moving again he picked up where they had left off.  “You say you have no clue, but it’s pretty convenient, don’t you think?  That so far you’ve been able to master everything we’ve thrown at you… but this, _this_ you somehow can’t figure out.  The one thing that we’d all find most useful you can’t seem to do.”

The accusation stung.  She’d gone along with everything she’d been told to do and was still being called into question.  She was breathing heavily, the anger ready to burst out of her at any moment.  Her voice dropped and she spoke with frightening calm.  “Everything you guys have had me do has been a variation of something I’ve already done.  This is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.  I’ve never had someone trying to get into my head… I’ve never had someone try to manipulate my emotions.  I have absolutely no basis of comparison here and am starting from scratch.  So stop treating me like I’m one of _them_.”

Edward was silent for a few seconds before delivering a blow Bella hadn’t been expecting.  “For all I know, you are.”

A surprised gasp left her mouth as her head jerked back as if she had been slapped.  The stare down lasted only seconds more before she was scrabbling to find the handle of the door with uncooperative hands.  When she finally managed to open it, she stumbled out with her bag in her hand.

Her mind raced in multiple trains of thought, unable to focus on any one for more than a few seconds at a time.  She could only see directly in front of her, lost in tunnel vision, while every sound was muted as if she was underwater.  She heard a door slam, then another, and realized she had left hers wide open in her escape.

When she finally made it to her room, she paced.  She tried to sit, but would stand seconds later.  She had no idea what to do next.  There seemed to be no good answers; she was trapped.  Her options seemed to be either leave and go back to her apartment where she wouldn’t be as secure, or stay where she’d be physically guarded but clearly unwanted and not trusted.

She was still weighing the pros and cons when her door creaked open and Alice peeked in.  Bella looked up just in time to see Alice’s expression morph into confusion and concern.

“Oh my God, Bella.  What’s wrong?  What happened?” Alice asked as she raced across the room.

Bella held a hand up in the air, immediately halting Alice in her tracks.  “Why did you bring me here?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“What do you mean?” Alice’s brow furrowed as she tried to figure out where this line of questioning had come from from.  “We wanted to help you, to make sure you didn’t get taken advantage of.”

Bella’s head tilted to one side and arched an eyebrow in challenge.  “Really?  So you’re trying to tell me it wasn’t a ‘keep your enemies closer’ kind of thing?”

Alice’s mouth opened and closed, unable to answer Bella.  She had seemed perfectly fine—happy in fact—when they’d seen each other earlier that afternoon.  To Bella, though, this seemed like confirmation and she let her head fall back in a humorless laugh as she tried to will away the tears.

“What happened? Is everything okay?”

“No, it’s not okay, nothing’s okay, and nothing has been okay since I moved back to this damn state,” Bella muttered through choppy breaths as she turned her back to Alice and angrily wiped away at the few stray tears that escaped.

She didn’t notice Alice bolt from the room mumbling “how did I miss it?”  She was too trapped in her own head trying to figure out what she was going to do.  The sound of Alice’s raised voice surprised her, and after a moment’s deliberation, she ran out of the room to follow the noise.

She skidded to a halt right next to Jasper at the sight of Alice and Edward in a screaming match in the living room.  Rosalie entered from the other side at the same time, and as soon as she realized what the argument was about, she glared at Bella.

“Why in the hell would you say something like that?” Alice screamed, her tiny frame not backing down from the much larger one that towered over her.

“Because it’s the truth!”  Edward responded, throwing his hands in the air.  “We can’t be sure about anybody.  It’s not my fault she took it personally.”

The anger grew again as Bella took a couple steps closer, but Jasper’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.  “How else was I supposed to take it?”

“Are you kidding me?” a voice asked in irritation from the hallway and everyone turned to see Emmett walk in, glaring straight at Edward.  “One hour.  That’s all I needed was one hour, and you somehow managed to fuck it all up.”

“I didn’t—” Edward started before Emmett pointed a finger at him in warning.

“Don’t.”

Rosalie stepped closer to the center of the room.  “No, I think we need to have this out.”  She faced Bella, ignoring everybody else.  “We’re putting our asses on the line for you, so I think you need to take a good hard look at this from our perspective.”

Bella’s posture straightened, ready to go toe to toe with Rosalie.  “And how in the hell do you expect me to do that?  You people dole out information in these tiny pieces that barely make sense.  You tell me nothing of value—just the bare minimum if you tell me anything at all.  So how am I supposed to look at it from your perspective when I don’t know what your perspective is?”

She took a moment to look at each person in the room, all of them stunned into silence before she continued.  “What about _my_ perspective? I’m expected to give up everything I know, I’m told just enough to keep me on edge wondering what it is that you’re obviously withholding, and all the while I’m supposed to trust you implicitly and follow your directions because you’ve lived it already.”

Though she was now speaking to the group as a whole, she turned her attention to Edward.  “So excuse me if I take it personally when I’m deliberately left in the dark and then told that I’m suspect… that I can’t be trusted.”

“That’s not what I said,” Edward growled, his patience waning.

“It’s exactly what you implied,” Bella countered, standing her ground.  “You accused me of blocking you on purpose and insinuated it could be because I was working with them already.”

She heard Emmett groan and sigh.  “Christ, Edward… I thought you were past this conspiracy theory bullshit.  Nothing has even remotely hinted at that being the case here.”

Rosalie stepped forward to answer before Edward could.  “You know that we can’t be too careful.  So what if a few feelings get hurt.  We have to keep ourselves safe.”

“I seem to recall that it wasn’t too long ago that we were making room for you in our group, Rosalie,” Alice challenged.  Bella watched the two friends argue, unsure what to think about it.

“That was different.”

“Why?” Alice asked with a laugh.  “Because it was you?  I honestly don’t see a difference here from _my perspective_.”

Rosalie fumed at her words being thrown back at her again.  “It was different because _they_ were different.  They hadn’t been so aggressive then… they hadn’t come so close to any of us.”

“Which is exactly why we needed to intervene,” Jasper interjected, stepping between the two girls.  “Think about it, Rosalie.  How would you feel in her place right now, not knowing anything about all of this and having no support system to deal with it?”

Alice stepped around Jasper to once again face Rosalie directly.  “No, she only wants to think about how it affects her, isn’t that right?  What kind of attention will it bring to _you_?  What if they come after _you_?  Lord knows all we’ve heard from the start is how it affects _you_.  The only reason that you’ve gone along with anything so far is because you were outnumbered.”

Rosalie took one step closer and looked down at Alice.  “Well somebody sure as hell has to think about the repercussions, because you were too busy flitting around trying to find your new best friend to remember that there was actual danger if we got involved.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.  There was ‘actual danger’ if we didn’t get involved.  Do you really think it would have been better to let her fend for herself?  To let the Volturi manipulate her or force her to do their bidding?  You said it yourself, they’ve come close... can you imagine what they could do with her working for them?  You’ve seen what she’s capable of… would you really prefer to work against her?”

Bella wanted to interrupt, to put an end to it all, but she was frozen as she watched Alice clash with her friend and then turn to her brother.  “And you!  I know you’ve been through some terrible things, but you’re way over the line.  I thought you said you believed that she was truly uninformed in all of this?  Monday, you said that Felix honestly had no clue who she was, and you just told me this morning that nothing you’ve heard him think all week has indicated that she’s had any prior contact with the Volturi, so why would you throw that in her face the first opportunity you had?”

“Alice, you’re not left completely in the dark like I am.  Your ability still works on her, so don’t criticize me for getting frustrated.”  His words were sharp and his glare deadly and Bella couldn’t take it anymore.

“Enough!”  With one word she managed to silence the whole room.  “Just… enough.”

She turned and walked out of the room before taking the steps as quickly as possible, leaving five people behind in uncomfortable silence.  Closing the bedroom door behind her, she headed straight for the closet to pull her bags from the top shelf.  Without hesitation, she began packing the contents of her dresser.  She had the first one half full when her door burst open.

 “Stop,” Alice begged as she ran over and placed her hand over Bella’s, halting her progress.  “Please, Bella.  Don’t.”

Bella hadn’t realized she’d been crying until she looked at Alice with blurred vision.  Bella sniffled and shook her head, unable to speak for fear she’d truly lose control if she tried.  Instead, she walked backwards until her legs hit the bed and sat down, her head dropping into her hands.  Almost immediately she started sobbing, weeks worth of frustration, fear, and lack of information purging itself with each tear.

Alice’s arms around her only made it worse.  That one action made it impossible for Bella to pull herself out of her near breakdown.  So consumed with trying to hide, she didn’t see Jasper slip quietly into the room and she startled when she felt the bed dip and looked up to see him sitting beside her.  His apologetic look did little to soothe her.  “Now more than ever I wish I could help.”

“Haven’t you heard?” Bella asked with a weary chuckle.  “I’m faking that whole shield thing.  I’m just stringing you all along, wasting your time, putting you at risk.”

“I could strangle him for what he said,” Alice mumbled, her face pressed against Bella’s shoulder.

Bella wiped at the last of her tears before taking a deep breath and untangled herself from Alice.  “That’s why I need to go.”

“Wait—no!” Alice latched onto Bella’s wrist with both hands to keep her from packing more of her things.

“This isn’t working out, Alice.”  Bella was pleading with her to understand.  “I already felt like a burden coming here… and to have that confirmed?  You can’t really expect me to stay.”

Alice’s watery eyes shot over to Jasper, begging him to do or say something.

“I think things will be different now.  We didn’t realize how little we were telling you and the toll this has all been taking on you.  You’ve been taking everything so well that none of us noticed how much stress we were adding.”

“It’s not even about that,” Bella said, swiping at a stray tear.  “There are two people who clearly don’t want me here, and my presence is just causing problems for the ones that do.  I’m not going to be the reason you all fight with each other.  I’ll—I’ll figure something out.  I’ll be okay.”

She was trying to convince herself more than them.

“Listen,” Jasper said soothingly.  “Don’t make any decisions tonight.  Relax, let everyone else calm down, and we’ll see what things look like in the morning.  If you’re still intent on leaving”—Alice shot a look of warning at Jasper, who simply held up a hand to let her know he had it all under control—“we’ll figure something out then, when we’re all thinking with clear heads.”

Bella looked like she was about to argue, so he cut her off before she started.  “Please.  I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you go back to your apartment knowing they’ve been there and we haven’t had a chance to check it out yet.  If you leave now, I’ll just camp out in my car all night, so for the sake of my back, please stay.  You don’t even have to leave the room.  Alice and I will bring something for you to eat, something to drink… whatever you need.”

After a few moments of hesitation, Bella nodded in defeat.  Alice jumped up to hug her, but Bella didn’t reciprocate.  In fact, she didn’t say another word until Jasper and Alice were ready to leave.  Just as they reached the door, Jasper leaned down to pick up a bag that he had dropped when he had first entered the room before the blowup downstairs.

“Oh… uh,” he stammered uncomfortably.  “This is for you.”

 He scratched the hair at the back of his neck, the expression on Bella’s face making him unsure of whether or not to explain.

Bella opened the bag and peered inside, perplexed by its contents.  Jasper took the bag and laid the objects out across the bed.  Bella stood quietly, waiting for explanation.

 “I figured we could work on this over the weekend, but given everything that’s happened, I understand if you don’t want to.”  He picked up a small length of rope, and Bella watched as he folded and unfolded it nervously.  “I think the problem last week, the reason you couldn’t fight all of us off”—there was a split second of hesitation, and it was obvious to everyone how deliberately he avoided saying Edward’s name—“was because you’re used to moving whole objects.  If someone has a good grip on you, you don’t know how or maybe aren’t comfortable trying to break their hold.  I thought maybe we could work on focusing on parts… things that require a little more mental dexterity than simply moving something from point A to point B.”

“What is that for?” Bella asked, motioning to the rope.

Jasper held an end in each hand awkwardly, seeming to be second-guessing his decision to even discuss training after everything that had just happened.  “Have you ever tried to tie anything?” Bella shook her head confirming his assumption.  “I thought maybe you could, you know, try and tie the ends together… maybe some knots.”  He shrugged, and Bella felt guilty for putting him in such an uncomfortable position.  He had always been so sure of himself, something she derived comfort from when he tried to explain or teach things to her.

She tried to smile though she was still upset.  “Can’t hurt to try, huh?”  She glanced at the bed and pointed.  “And the, uh, toddler toys?”

Jasper laughed and shook his head.  “I was trying to think of what we could use to help you work on this and decided to start from the beginning.  We may not be dealing with hand-eye coordination, but close enough, and these are tried and true classics.”

Bella couldn’t help but chuckle when Jasper handed over the Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks that featured a shape sorting lid.  “And the Lite Brite?”

“Even I have trouble lining up those pegs,” Jasper teased.  “Good luck with that.”

“Bella?” Alice asked tentatively from across the room.  Bella’s head turned to the sound, and the small smile that had appeared quickly dissolved upon seeing how torn Alice still was over everything that had happened.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize how much we were leaving you out of things.  I guess when you know the details, you don’t see all of the holes you leave open when trying to explain.  It wasn’t fair of us to forget that you didn’t have the same background coming into this as we did.  You were already in the dark, and we just kept you there.”

Bella didn’t know how to respond, so she simply nodded.  It was a moment that seemed to call for her to assure Alice that it was okay, but it wasn’t, and Bella wasn’t willing to backtrack on everything she had finally purged.  But she knew she’d regret allowing everything to build up again like she had before, so instead of simply assuaging Alice’s concern, she said, “I should’ve said something sooner.  I shouldn’t have held it all in until I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“At least we know now, right?” Alice said with a hopeful smile. 

Jasper and Alice left shortly after, leaving Bella on her bed with the length of rope stretched out in front of her.  For a while, she simply stared at it.  Jasper’s assessment of what had happened during the attack training made sense. She had simply pushed against Jasper and Emmett with enough force that their arms unlocked from around her shoulder with minimal effort on her part.  Edward, however, had tightly clutched the opposite shoulder with his hand and when she pushed him, his grip held and brought her with him as he tumbled to the floor.  Had she only been able to move his hand, she would’ve been able to fight him.

The idea that something as simple as a firm grip was enough to incapacitate her and render her power useless was terrifying.

With this in mind, she focused her attention on the rope and watched as each end lifted into the air.  For a while, the ends made clumsy advancements on each other, never doing more than bumping then falling to the bed.  After a frustrated hour, Bella laid the rope in a straight line then focused again.  Step by step, she concentrated until one end crossed over the other, then looped into the circle that had formed on the bedspread.  Excitement built when she realized how close she was to figuring this out.  Completely absorbed in what she was doing, she split her attention between the two ends and pulled in opposite directions.

She laughed out loud at the loose knot that was left behind.  After such a rough afternoon, this small victory was something to celebrate.  At least, that was until she looked at the clock and realized that the small knot took two hours to accomplish.

She took a much needed break when Alice appeared with food.  The two girls sat quietly, attempting to carry on a conversation, but unsure of what topics were safe.  As soon as they finished, Alice gathered the now empty dishes and left Bella alone once again.

She was exhausted, and if her mind wasn’t so occupied trying to figure out what she wanted to do—or not do—when the morning came, she probably would’ve fallen right to sleep.  Instead, she stared at the two remaining projects that Jasper left behind before eventually pushing them away in disgust.  She already felt like she was being treated like a child; she didn’t need such an obvious reminder.

Her mind replayed the day’s events against her will on a loop.  Each time something changed as she considered all of the things she wished she had said or done while she’d had the opportunity.  She lost all track of time amid the coulda, woulda, shouldas. Upon recognizing the late hour, Bella took inventory of the ache in her joints due to sitting for so long and the headache that staring so intently at the rope.

Her mouth was dry and all she wanted at that moment was water, but she hesitated at the idea of leaving her room.  After a long debate with herself, encouraged by the late hour and lack of noise in the house, she decided it was safe to venture to the kitchen.

The hall was dark when she opened her door, so dark that she didn’t see the figure popped against the wall until she almost tripped over him.  The shuffle of her feet against the floor as she tried to stop herself from tumbling woke him up.  She braced herself for the start of another argument when Edward’s eyes opened, darted around the hall until he remembered where he was, and then focused on her.

He didn’t say anything, though.  He simply held out a bottle of water to her.  She wavered, unsure of why he would be waiting there with the one thing she was in search of.  She gave him a quizzical look and he quietly answered, “Alice.”

“Thanks,” she whispered, taking the bottle. It was barely cool, suggesting that he had been waiting for some time.  Whether it was his decision to bring it himself, or at Alice’s urging, remained a mystery.

Part of her wanted to walk right back into her room and barricade herself until the morning, but the fact that he had fallen asleep on the hard ground showed that he had something he felt he needed to say.  So instead of fleeing, she walked softly to the opposite wall and slid down until she was sitting directly across from him.

The silence was suffocating, and the way he stared at her made her fidget.  She tried to look everywhere but him, but the feel of his eyes upon her drew her attention back, so instead she sipped at the water just for something to do.

She was caught by surprise when he finally spoke.  “I have a hard time trusting people.”

He paused, and Bella didn’t respond.  His admission didn’t require one, and she wasn’t going to interrupt if he was about to explain himself.  Sure enough, he continued.  “I know that you aren’t with them, and that you’ve never done anything to indicate that you’re even considering it… it’s just hard to remember that sometimes.”  Again, he paused before quietly offering, “I’m sorry.”

She wasn’t ready to offer forgiveness, especially when she was still unsure of the sincerity and motivation behind his apology.  “Why did you get so angry?”

He let his head fall back until it rested against the wall and pulled his knees up, propping his elbows on them.  “I saw you wave to Felix out of the corner of my eye and heard him questioning why you would draw purposely draw attention… why you would publicly show that you knew each other.  I misunderstood the situation.”

“I didn’t—” she started before he cut her off.

“I know,” he said, a tinge of shame lacing his voice.  “Like I said, it’s hard to remember that not everyone is out to get us.  It was the first time I’d seen anything remotely suspicious, and I didn’t bother to think it through.  It wasn’t until I saw it replayed through Alice’s vision that I realized that you were being truthful about trying to make him uncomfortable, and that I had misinterpreted his thoughts.  I assumed that he meant why would you acknowledge it in front of _me_ , but was actually referring to the other students.  We have to keep a low profile when it comes to our abilities, and if he isn’t careful, people will notice him sitting in the same places day after day.  And if they do, and you acknowledge him like that, they’ll notice you.  He saw that as you taking a huge risk, drawing attention to yourself.”

Bella nodded to show that she was listening, and that she understood what he was saying.  Still, she had no words to offer him.  They fell back into silence, and Bella stared down the hall at the beams of moonlight that streamed in through the window.  She only had one question on her mind and turned back to Edward to find him watching her.

“Why did you wait out here?”

His face shifted from expressionless to sorrowful, perhaps even anguished.

“Stay,” he said, the simple word causing Bella’s breath to catch in her throat.  “Don’t leave in the morning.  We can all start over fresh, learn from our mistakes.”  When she didn’t answer, he continued.  “At least think about it.”

She turned her head when she felt her eyes start to water again, and nodded but she didn’t move.  Her eyes closed, and the surrounding silence almost allowed her to drift off so it startled her when Edward started speaking.

“I don’t remember ever really hiding what I am,” he said out of nowhere.  She looked over to see his eyes fixated at a random point on the wall above her head.  “I mean, obviously, in public I do… but I’ve never had to hide it at home.  Alice and I aren’t the first in our family, so it was ‘normal’ for us.  Expected, almost.”

She wasn’t sure what the purpose of this conversation was, but if he was willing to talk, she could at least be civil, participate, and maybe get a few answers.  “So, your parents?”

The question hung in the air, incomplete, before Edward shook his head.  “Grandparents.  Grandmothers, more specifically.  From both sides.  Pre-cognitive and telepathic, surprise surprise.  My parents hated it when they were kids.  They finally got out on their own just to go through it all again with us.”

Bella allowed a soft laugh.  “I bet they’re enjoying the privacy now.”

From across the hall, she could see a small smile in the dim light.  “Is it true?  Nobody knows about you?  You’ve never told anybody?”

“I guess we come from entirely different backgrounds.  As far as I know, I’m the only person in my family… even as a kid I knew it was something that would make people feel uneasy, so I kept it hidden.  I’m still not used to using my power or even talking about it with you guys.  It makes me feel so exposed.”

“There aren’t even any rumors or stories about your great-grandparents?  Aunts or uncles?  Cousins?” he asked, surprised.

“None that I’ve ever heard,” Bella answered.  “I’m the only child of only children and just had one living grandparent growing up.  If there are rumors or stories, there weren’t really many people left to pass them down, I guess.”

They were quiet again before Edward spoke.  “Did Alice tell you that our dad is a geneticist?”  He waited for Bella to shake her head before he continued.  “His theory is that it’s the product of some recessive gene, but so far he has no proof.  It’s a risky thing to research… it’s not exactly the kind of information you’d want falling into the wrong hands.”

For some reason, this made Bella feel a little better.  After all, if the same process that determined her hair and eye color also gave her this extra ability, she couldn’t be too much of a freak of nature.

She couldn’t think of a good segue from his parents to the question she wanted to ask, but it had been on her mind and he seemed willing to talk.  “Alice said something earlier, and I’ve been wondering about it…” she trailed off.

“What’s that?” he asked, the simple response enough to encourage her to continue.

“I guess I just assumed that you’ve all known each other forever… but then she said something about Rosalie being new…”

He didn’t wait for her to finish, understanding immediately what she wanted to know.  “When I was seventeen and Alice was fifteen, my dad had to speak at a conference in Houston.  Alice kept insisting that we all go with him so we could do a long weekend in Galveston when he was finished.  She was already a pro at hiding visions from me if she didn’t want me to see them, so it wasn’t until we just _happened_ to bump into Jasper on the beach that I knew what she was up to.”

Edward chuckled at the memory, and Bella’s lips formed a small smile at how devious Alice could be, even at such a young age, to convince her entire family into taking a vacation for the sole purpose of finding Jasper.

“Did his family know what he could do?” Bella asked.

“All of our families knew,” Edward responded.  “I guess that’s why we keep forgetting how little you know about this world.  We all grew up talking about it openly.  You never had anyone to fill you in like we did.”

“Oh.”  She knew she was undereducated in these matters, but she’d never realized the extent of what she had missed out on by having to keep her power a secret.  She had no guidance, nobody to give her direction.  It was no wonder that she felt like she was floundering now.

She was thankful that Edward didn’t acknowledge her deficiency, opting to continue with the group’s history instead.

“Emmett was my roommate my freshman year in college.  You’ve probably noticed, and there’s no logical explanation for it… but people like us tend to gravitate to each other without conscious effort.  This was just another coincidence that the two people on the entire campus with some sort of supernatural power ended up being assigned to the same dorm room.”

“Did you figure it out right away?  Did you recognize each other as being similar?” she asked, curious.

“The first day of classes, I walked in and Emmett was sitting at his desk getting a head start on the semester.  I kept seeing these flashes of information from his textbooks in his head, even though they were all over on his bookshelf. They hadn’t been touched since he’d bought them.”

“Must be convenient,” Bella mumbled, earning a laugh from Edward.

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” he agreed.  “Anyway, a year later Jasper came here for school.  We’d stayed in touch with him during those couple of years in between.  Then a year after that, Alice joined us.”

“And Rosalie?” 

“She started the same time as Alice, but we didn’t meet her for a couple months.  It wasn’t until Emmett ran into her as he was coming out of his advisor’s office and she was heading in.   By that point, we’d already formed this tight little group and were trying to deflect attention from the recruiters sent by the Volturi.  They didn’t seem to know about her yet, and they never targeted her as hard as they are you, but still… we couldn’t leave her to fend for herself once we knew.”

“And it’s been the five of you ever since,” Bella said.

“Not exactly.”  Edward’s voice was quiet, pained.  She wasn’t even sure that she heard him correctly.

Bella had just opened her mouth to ask him to clarify, but he started speaking again before she could get the words out.  This time he was more clinical and detached with his explanation.  “The Volturi always had people around, never really leaving us alone.  When the next fall term started, a new ‘gifted’ student showed up, so of course we felt responsible for making sure the Volturi didn’t take advantage.  It turned out we were being set up to be infiltrated.”

Bella’s heart was racing—this was the “close call” that had been alluded to many times.  “What happened?”

He looked directly at her but his eyes were empty.  “We managed to distance ourselves before it was too late.  We moved into this house, Emmett went to work on the security system, and we’ve been vigilant ever since.”

His tone of voice made it clear that the discussion was over.  As was becoming customary, the two sat in silence, contemplating the turn of events that the night brought with it.  While Bella appreciated Edward’s gesture—a peace offering in the form of information—she knew that he told her nothing too confidential.  More than likely, everything she had learned the Volturi already knew, so there was no risk in telling her.

After a few moments she stood up and walked to her door, avoiding his gaze but feeling his eyes follow her every move.  Standing right next to him with her eyes staring intently at her hand on the doorknob, she finally spoke.  “You know… I don’t trust you either.”

“You think we may be the bad guys?” he asked, misunderstanding her and assuming that she was referring to his own admitted suspicion of anyone outside of his circle.

She shook her head, still refusing to look at him.  “I don’t understand you.  I never know what will set you off.”

Her heart pounded with worry that her admission would be one of those things that would upset him and she flinched when he stood up and moved closer to her.

“Another mistake for me to learn from, I guess.”

His voice was lighter, not at all what she was expecting, and against her better judgment she looked up at him.  Neither spoke, neither moved, until eventually Bella turned the knob with a shaky hand and broke eye contact.  Without saying a word she stepped inside, leaning against the door when it closed behind her.  She didn’t dare to breathe until she heard footsteps disappear down the hall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

“I think I’m ready to try to figure out how this whole blocking/shield thing works.”

The roommates had come to an unspoken truce after their mass blowout.  While things had been awkward for the first few days, the fight managed to tear down walls that had been built.  For the first time since her arrival, Bella started to feel like an equal member of the group.

After days of everybody walking on eggshells, and weeks of falling into a routine, Bella finally felt comfortable saying exactly what she needed or expected without hesitation. 

Jasper was caught off-guard by Bella’s announcement, and admittedly Bella knew that her request did seem to come from nowhere.  She had simply walked into the room, saw him sitting by himself, and took advantage of the opportunity to speak to him alone.  This was one thing that she didn’t want to attempt with an audience.  No doubt it would take significantly more concentration than she’d ever had to use, and that wouldn’t be possible in a room full people watching and waiting for something to happen.

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” he asked.  His words were slow and wary, indicating that he doubted her confidence.  She didn’t blame him after her initial frustration over several failed attempts during a training session he had set up a few days prior. 

Bella had been surprised to see the large pieces of wood and metal standing in the back yard.  She had forgotten about them since that first visit to the workshop the day that she moved in.  It was a simple enough concept, and initially it didn’t bother her to have every roommate standing around as they tested her power against various materials and thicknesses.

The first few rounds had been a breeze.  The wood was thin enough that Bella had been able to project enough force to split the sheets in half.  Similarly, the metal wasn’t so solid that it could hold up against her and it buckled with minimal effort.  But her confidence quickly eroded as the pieces grew more impenetrable.  Suddenly, the audience was no longer as welcome as they once were now that Bella was struggling with the task before her.  She had grown accustomed to finding some amount of success in every test that they had presented her with, but this time she had both literally and figuratively hit a wall. 

Once the wood and metal reached more than a couple of inches in depth, she found herself unable to move them.  No matter how much concentration she put forth, no matter how much effort and exertion she used, nothing budged.  Though she rarely needed to use her hands in combination with her ability, the physical action did tend to amplify her power.  But even that hadn’t provided any advantage this time.

The others had tried to help, offering suggestions such as attacking from a different angle or focusing closer to the edges rather than the center but nothing worked, and the ideas they threw at her had begun to feel more like critiques.  She had never handled failure well, and failure in front of an audience was intolerable.

She had increased her efforts to the point of breaking a sweat even though her actual physical exertion was minimal.   She growled from the struggle, and tears of frustration welled up in her eyes as her attempts became sloppy.

“Just relax then give one solid push in the middle,” Emmett instructed.  “Burst right through the damn thing.”

“I’m not the fucking Kool-Aid Man, Emmett.”

Silence surrounded her for a long, tense moment before Rosalie snorted a laugh.  At first Bella felt slightly affronted.  After all, she and Rosalie weren’t exactly on the best of terms yet. Civil? Yes. Friendly? Eh, not quite. But as everyone else joined in and the laughter built to a roar, Bella thought over her words.  She didn’t know if it was the rare expletive or the pop culture reference—perhaps it was the combination of the two—but she couldn’t deny the humor in her outburst.

The levity of the situation was welcome, and after a few more attempts they quickly took note of which pieces gave her trouble and which ones stalled her progress entirely.  By the time they headed back to the house, Bella felt much better about the situation. She wasn’t failing; she was simply finding her limits.  They didn’t expect her to succeed every time.  It was that realization that gave her the confidence she needed to now stand in front of Jasper and ask him to help her find the boundaries on her shield.

“You’re sure you want to do this?”

Jasper waited, giving Bella the chance to delay for a little while longer but she was adamant.  “I want to try.  I don’t know if it’ll work, but I want to give it a shot.”

Her proud grin matched Jasper’s as he turned off the television and set the remote to the side.

“Okay, let’s see if we can figure this out.  What does it feel like—really feel like—when someone tries to get through?  I know you said you feel pressure, that it’s uncomfortable.”

Bella nodded.  “Yeah, it feels like someone is pushing against me.  Or maybe… not really against me but against some sort of barrier…” she trailed off as she waved a hand up and down a few inches in front of her body.

“So it’s like a wall that gets pushed back against you?  The person’s power never really gets through?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed, and watched Jasper turn contemplative.  Suddenly nervous about sharing her theory, she stammered her way through what she’d been considering for a while.  “I was thinking that… maybe if I, like, visualized an actual wall? Maybe I could also envision moving it or lowering it or… something.”

The longer Jasper went without answering, the more anxious she grew.  She fidgeted, wringing her hands, biting her lip, and crossing and uncrossing her legs until he finally nodded.  “I think you might be on to something.”

Bella breathed a sigh of relief and Jasper turned all of his attention to her.  “Okay, I’m going to try something and when you feel it, try to visualize that wall.  We’ll know if it’s working if you feel your emotions shift for no reason.”

“Okay,” Bella said with a distracted nod as she tried to clear her mind of everything but the task at hand.

Seconds later she felt a small amount of pressure, and closed her eyes to block everything else out but the feel of her shield being prodded by an invisible force.  She tried to imagine the wall, and though her mind’s eye had some degree of success, she was unable to get past the annoyance of the intrusion to visualize how to lower that wall.

She opened her eyes and huffed in irritation causing Jasper to laugh.

“Don’t work yourself up over it.  This is some really advanced stuff.  It’s going to take a while if it even works at all.”

Feeling slightly placated by his words, Bella took a moment to shake off her frustration before motioning for Jasper to try again.  “Okay, I’m ready.”

“You sure?” he asked, chuckling at how serious Bella was as she prepared.  Before she could respond, she felt another wave attack her shield. 

They continued in this manner for the next hour until they heard a car pulling up outside.  Bella tensed, not ready to stop, but also not wanting anybody else to know what she was doing.

“What do you want to do?  We can keep trying even if the others are here.  They don’t have to know.”  Jasper thought for a moment then amended his statement.  “Well, Alice probably already knows.  But as far as everyone else is concerned, if you look like you’re concentrating on something menial, they won’t have a clue.”

“Won’t Edward know what you’re trying to do?” Her tone was wary and disbelieving.  After all, he was the one most curious about how she was able to block him at all times.  He’d certainly be interested the moment he picked up what was happening in Jasper’s thoughts.

“He’s actually pretty good about giving us all some privacy,” Jasper assured her. “Just because he can hear doesn’t mean he always listens.  If we’re all just doing our own things, he tries to ignore the ‘noise’ we make.  Plus, I’m pretty good at keeping him out.  As long as I keep my thoughts trained on what I’m doing and not why I’m doing it, he shouldn’t think anything of it.  I’m sure he tries it all the time, right?”

Bella rolled her eyes and nodded thinking about how often Edward seemed to test her.  Nearly every time she was in his presence, she’d feel the pressure from his random attempts.  Jasper laughed loudly at her nonverbal confirmation.  “Yeah, so he can’t exactly say anything to me if he’s doing the same damn thing.”

For days Bella and Jasper found themselves managing to stay under everybody’s radar—minus Alice, who had seen the decision but was still impatiently waiting on the outcome—whenever they had a free, quiet moment.  The most difficult part for Bella was hiding her frustration in front of others when she was supposed to be studying or simply killing time watching TV.

It was during one of those stretches of time in front of the television that they had their first breakthrough.  The entire group had gathered for a quiet evening to watch mindless comedies over pizza but Bella paid no attention to the images on screen, only laughing along with the others to disguise what she was really doing. 

Her concentration had improved since she and Jasper had begun this experiment and she felt that she was close; she just didn’t realize _how_ close.   The first hint that something had happened was a small sniffle she couldn’t hold back, and initially nobody noticed.  They were too distracted by a particularly funny scene, and their laughs easily drowned out the sound.  But Bella and Jasper knew in an instant what had happened and stared at each other wide-eyed.

 _It worked?_   That was the only thought running through Bella’s mind, repeating itself, and the new ‘voice’ in the room drew Edward’s attention away from the movie at once.  His head snapped up and Bella was flooded with self-consciousness.  She struggled a little more to maintain her lowered shield and began to sob loudly, finally gaining the attention of the entire room.

“What the hell, Jasper?  You made her cry?” Alice said, causing Bella to laugh through her tears.

“Fine, I’ll try something else.”  Moments later Bella felt herself getting drowsy as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Bella yawned and saw Edward holding his hand in the air to tell Jasper to stop.  “Wait, not that.  Don’t make her fall asleep _now_.  How is she doing this?  How are _you_ doing this?”

Through the fog she could hear the pleading, wonder, and curiosity in his voice.  As before, without warning, her emotions shifted again and uncontrollable laughter took over.  It was the oddest feeling; rather than the pressure she’d become somewhat accustomed to, her emotions were manipulated with ease but her logical mind knew that something was off.  She almost felt manic and if she didn’t know that Jasper was influencing her, she’d have been certain that she was.

“Somebody want to tell us what in the hell is going on?” Emmett asked in frustration.

Shaking his head slowly in disbelief and not taking his eyes from Bella, it was Edward who answered.  “She isn’t blocking.  Jasper’s doing this.”

“Can you hear her?” Alice asked and he nodded.

Needing confirmation, Rosalie piped up.  “So then what’s she thinking?”

“Right now just how ridiculous she feels with everyone watching her.”

Bella could tell when Jasper finally backed off because the hysterical edge to her laughter subsided until she was left with her own.  The entire situation was so peculiar that she couldn’t help but find the humor in it.

“Can you still hear?” Jasper asked, wanting to confirm that dropping her shield was something Bella could keep up for extended periods of time. He had no way of knowing unless he was trying to manipulate her emotions, whereas Edward didn’t need to make an effort; he simply had to hear her to know.

A slow nod was the only answer Edward was willing to give, too afraid that any sound or disruption would end this new phenomenon.  Emmett didn’t have the same reservations, and let loose a celebratory whoop that startled Bella and put an immediate end to her concentration.

Though she was unable to accommodate a repeat performance that night, she found that in quieter moments she was able to find better control.  Edward was even more relentless than usual, trying to catch snippets of her thoughts and though she’d never admit it to him, he was actually helping her learn to control her shield as if she was flipping a switch.  When she’d feel the obnoxious prod of his mind trying to work past her block, she’d lower it long enough to admonish him with a quick “ _knock it off”_ before keeping him out again.  Each time he’d throw his head back in laughter and keep right at it as if he was playing a game.

She tried to be annoyed, but admittedly even she found this new trick kind of fun.

Even more fun than that, though, was making Emmett join her in the library on campus while researching for class.  In addition to always finding a way to make her laugh—usually over the strangest things—he was quite handy to have around when trying to track down obscure bits of information hiding in one of the thousands of books that  surrounded them.

“Come on, just this last one,” she pled.

Emmett ignored her, continuing to scribble notes and fill in details on a sketch as if he hadn’t heard her.  She craned her neck to see the paper better but the image didn’t make any sense to her.  “So what is that supposed to be?” she asked, abandoning her request for help.

He erased a small section and swept the debris from the page.  “Not sure yet.”

When he looked up at her, finally acknowledging her presence, she jumped right back into begging.  “Please? Just one more source to prove my argument, that’s all I need.  You can either let me search through random books for the next two hours, or you can just point me in the right direction and we can head home in twenty minutes.  It’s your call.”

“Fine.” A dramatic, frustrated sigh escaped Emmett’s lips as he wrote not only the title of the book she needed, but also its precise location in the library on a scrap of paper.

Bella reached for the note just as a ‘tsk’ of disapproval sounded from behind them. 

“Are you cheating, Bella?” Edward asked with amusement as she stood to go find the book she needed.  Though it still didn’t take much to put either of them on the defensive, lighthearted moments such as this were much more prevalent since their tentative truce in the hall.

 “Nope—just using the resources available to me.  Some people rely in Internet searches, I rely on the whiz kid over there.”

Emmett’s brow furrowed in displeasure over the nickname but Edward laughed.  “So Emmett’s like your Google?”

“Something like that.”  Bella grinned and left to search the stacks.  She found what she needed in no time and returned to the table where Edward and Emmett were in deep, though mostly silent, conversation.  Emmett said nothing, and the little that Edward spoke was clearly in response to Emmett’s thoughts as nothing would’ve made sense to anybody who overheard. Their discussion tapered off as she neared and she approached cautiously, eyeing both up and trying to assess the situation.

Emmett was the first to speak but his question was directed at Edward.  “How close?”

“Not even on campus,” Edward answered.  “It’s safe to talk here.”

Bella sat, pulling her chair out slowly as if afraid to make any sound, and waited as the two silently debated over which of them would fill her in.

Emmett waved his hand in a motion for Edward to begin.  “Hey, you know more about this than I do right now.”

Edward leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table.  Though there was an entire table between them, the gesture was enough to allude to the need for some amount of privacy.  His voice was quieter than it had been moments before, but Bella didn’t miss a single word.

 “Felix isn’t the only one we need to watch out for.  Demetri has come out of hiding and was hanging around earlier.  I couldn’t figure out his intentions, none of his thoughts were specific enough for me to hear what his plans are, but he’s assessing the situation, trying to get a read on things.”

Bella’s breathing and heart rate sped up simultaneously and she slid her hands onto her lap under the table to hide the slight trembling.  “What situation? What things?” she asked, and when Edward didn’t answer, she did it for him.  “Me?”

He only nodded but Emmett jumped in to assuage her.  “Hey, we don’t know what this means yet except that there’s someone else to keep tabs on.  Don’t worry.”

“They usually have a couple people hanging around anyway, so this isn’t at all unusual.”  Bella watched Edward for any signs that he was saying whatever it took to ease her mind, but didn’t find anything to show that he was lying to her.

In an effort to distract herself, Bella flipped through the book in her hand to find the excerpt she needed to finish her research paper.  After a quick trip to the copy machine and a few notes about the source, the book was returned to its shelf and all three left the library together.

“I need to swing by my apartment to pay my rent.  Is it safe to detour this afternoon?” Bella asked as they walked around campus.

“Sure it’s safe, but not exactly necessary.  Your rent is paid,” Emmett answered.

“No, my rent is only paid through the end of the month.  It’s due on the first.”

If she hadn’t been looking at Emmett she would’ve missed the guilty look he shot over at Edward, but she didn’t miss it and stopped walking.  It took a few steps, but both Emmett and Edward stopped as well and turned around to face what Bella was sure was an irritated scowl.

“Yeah, about that… ” Edward trailed off and scratched at the back of his head, a nervous habit that made Bella even more suspicious.  “Your rent is paid through the remainder of your lease.”

“What—who—how?” Bella spluttered, unable to settle on one question. 

“Relax,” Emmett said.  “We covered it.”

“But that’s”—Bella paused to do the mental math—“thousands of dollars.  How am I supposed to—”

Emmett held his hand up to stop her.  “Not to sound like an arrogant asshole, but you’ve seen how we live.  We have money, quite a bit of it, and covering your rent was nothing.  Not even a day’s earnings.”

Bella was stunned into silence, unable to form any kind of a response, not even the incoherent ones she’d been stammering the past few minutes.  She didn’t even put up a fight when Emmett and Edward led her away from the main footpath so that they could speak in relative privacy.  Emmett reached into his bag and pulled out the notebook he’d been scribbling in all afternoon and handed it to her.

She flipped through it and although little of its contents made any sense to her, there were diagrams on some pages and what looked like computer codes on others.

“This is how we make our money,” Emmett said in a low voice.  “We own a shit ton of patents.  We don’t work… at least not regular jobs.”

“You don’t work,” she repeated in disbelief, absorbing Emmett’s revelation as she continued to flip through the notebook.

“See, this shit pops into my head and Edward picks up on most, if not all of it, and helps me figure out the plans.”  At that, Bella noticed there were two distinct sets of handwriting on nearly every page where the two had collaborated.

“Then Alice lets us know which ideas are worth pursuing, which ones will be successful,” Edward said.  “Not to mention all of the investments she points us toward.”

Bella looked up but didn’t say anything, too overwhelmed by the casual tone of the conversation. While they were surrounded by people their age whose biggest hopes were to get an entry level job for a decent company, here she was in the middle of a group pulling in what she assumed to be millions from ideas gifted to them by their powers.  Though she was growing more comfortable living in this new world, it was moments like this that reminded her just how far out of the norm they existed.

“So really, it’s easy money.  You shouldn’t feel guilty about us paying your rent after the total upheaval of your life that we caused.”

Perhaps she shouldn’t have felt bad but she did, so as she started to walk away she mumbled, “I’m paying you back.”

Emmett’s laugh drew the attention of a few students causing Bella to blush.  He sidled up next to her and threw his arm over her shoulder.  “Forget about it.  Just give me time and I’ll have a few of these patents in your name, too.”

Her head swung around so fast that she felt a crick in her neck and cringed at the sting.  Emmett just shrugged.  “We have to mix them up a bit.  We use all of our names and a few company names that our attorney has set up… Speaking of which”— Emmett turned his head to look back at Edward —“I need to go sign a few things, so since you’re here can she ride home with you and I’ll just swing by and take care of it now?”

Bella paid no attention as Emmett and Edward discussed whatever the hell they were talking about.  Instead, she was running numbers in her mind and the moment she was in Edward’s car, she dug her checkbook out of her purse.

“What are you doing?” Edward asked before he had even closed the door.

She didn’t look up at him, and instead focused on writing out the check as he started the car and pulled out onto the street.  “I have enough in my account to pay for the rest of this year.  When I get my financial aid check in January I’ll pay back the rest of it.”

“Damn it, Bella.  Will you just give it a rest about the money?”

She ripped the check out and stuffed the book back into her purse.  “No, I won’t ‘just give it a rest.’  Congratulations for being so goddamned rich that you can drop thousands without blinking an eye, but I’m not comfortable being the recipient, okay?”

Edward sighed in frustration, fuming.  “It isn’t about showing off how much money we have.  It’s not like any of us can go out and find normal jobs right now, not when we constantly have to watch over our shoulder and live in a state of flux.  We found a way around having to worry about supporting ourselves while dealing with all of this other shit, so will you please just get over it?”

“Get over it,” Bella mumbled to nobody and shook her head in irritation.  “You don’t get it, do you?  Finally, _finally_ , I was starting to feel somewhat like an equal, and here comes yet another glaring reminder of just how _un_ equal we are.  Just another indication that I don’t fit in.”

Edward opened his mouth to speak when his phone started ringing.  Bella wasn’t ready for the argument to end and was disappointed when he reached into his pocket and yelled, “What?”

Bella watched his hardened eyes turn to panic and scanned the road ahead.

“Why didn’t you call him?  Why are you calling me?”

The alarm in his voice frightened Bella and she tried to follow his gaze.

“When, Alice?  Which intersection?” 

After a few seconds, Edward tossed his phone to Bella and instructed her to take over.  With shaky hands, Bella brought the phone up to her ear just as Edward pressed on the gas and began to swerve from lane to lane in an attempt to maneuver through traffic.

“Bella?  Are you there?”

Alice’s terrified voice did little to abate Bella’s own fear.  “I’m here.  What’s going on?”

“There’s going to be an accident.  Something changed and I didn’t see it until it was too late and he won’t pick up his phone while he’s driving.”

Before Alice could say more, she saw Emmett’s car up ahead of them.  The moment of relief quickly washed away when she noticed an SUV travelling much too fast and nearing the intersection that Emmett was about to pass through.  Curses flew from Edward’s lips when he realized they were too late and without thinking Bella dropped the phone and threw her hands out in front of her, focusing all of her attention and testing the limits of her mental strength against the two thousand pound chunk of metal careening toward Emmett.

At the last possible second, the speeding SUV spun in reaction to her interference.  Rather than a perpendicular hit crushing the driver’s side door, the two cars slammed together side by side, distributing the impact over a much larger area.  Bella watched in terror as both vehicles skidded sideways through the intersection and up onto a curb.

Every car in the vicinity came to a screeching halt as they watched the accident unfold.  Bella scrambled to open the door, but found herself being pulled backwards by Edward’s hand on her wrist.

“Stay in the car,” he ordered.

She was taken aback by his tone of voice, and didn’t move until he was already out and starting to jog toward the wreckage.  He turned his head when she slammed the door behind her and ran to catch up.  “Damn it, Bella.  Do you ever listen?”

“I’m not going to sit there and do nothing.”

He stopped running long enough for her to catch up before quietly demanding, “Do not go anywhere near the other car or the driver.  I mean it, keep your distance.  Stay on the other side of Emmett’s car.”

This time Bella did as she was told, and when Edward ran through the small space between the two vehicles to the driver’s side to check on Emmett, Bella ran to the passenger side and opened the mostly undamaged door and peeked in to see how she could help.

“Hey, man.  Are you okay?  Are you hurt?” Edward asked as he tried to assess his friend’s condition.

Emmett took a few seconds to consider how he felt before answering. “I—I think I’m all right.  Just a little sore, a little shaken up.”

Though it was hard to tell, it appeared to Bella that Emmett was more stunned than anything.  It was no wonder considering how quickly everything had happened.  He moved around in his seat, seeming confused and lacking coordination, so she reached over to unbuckle his seatbelt for him.

“Maybe you shouldn’t move until the paramedics get here,” she said.

“She’s right,” Edward added.  “Why don’t you stay put for now?”

Emmett shook his head and groaned.  “I just want out.  Let me get out.”

Not caring that Edward was in his way, Emmett started to climb out of the car forcing Edward to back up.  Bella mirrored him, and when she was out of the car she noticed all of the people standing in the street outside of their vehicles.  Remembering Edward’s warning, her curiosity drew her attention to the SUV.

She couldn’t see anything through the darkened windows which only added to her fear over who was lurking inside.   At the sound of the driver’s side door opening, she began shaking.  She could hear the shuffle of feet on pavement as the driver started to walk around the vehicle.  His eyes found hers the moment he came into view, and his mouth turned up into a malevolent grin.  He was bleeding from a small cut on his forehead, but for the most part seemed unaffected by the accident.

He took two more steps toward Bella before her line of sight was interrupted by Edward darting over and launching himself at the man.  Emmett attempted to move as if he wanted to join the fight, but lost his balance and leaned against his car once more.  Bella watched in horror as punches were traded until they were both knocked to the ground and she could no longer see what was happening.  She was frozen in place, waging an inner battle over whether to stay away as she’d been instructed, or attempt put a stop to things.  Before she could move, two men who had pulled their cars over ran and pulled Edward and the driver of the SUV apart.

The driver managed to shake off the man who had restrained him and before anybody could react, he was back in the SUV.  At the sound of the engine roaring to life, people scrambled to stop him from driving away but it was too late.  Bystanders jumped out of his path, dodging the erratic motion of the vehicle and within moments he was gone, leaving nothing behind but chunks of plastic, metal, and glass that had fallen off during the collision.

No longer tethered to the passenger side of the car, Bella rushed over.  Edward was closer so she stopped in front of him, taking note of the bruises that were already starting to form.  She reached out and ran her fingers lightly over the reddened skin above his left eye and he flinched.  She cringed in sympathy and jerked her hand away but he caught her by the wrist in a gentle grasp, not releasing it as he brought their hands down to his side.  The way he watched her made Bella feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.  His eyes, soft and pensive, seemed to be studying every inch of her face and she ducked her head, feeling shy from the attention, before asking, “Are you okay?”

“Fine, how’s Emmett doing?”  His voice was quiet and subdued and she knew that he was trying to deflect attention from himself, so she didn’t push. She shivered when he finally let go of her wrist and his hand feathered against hers.

They both looked over to see that an EMT was looking at Emmett, asking him a barrage of questions about the accident, where he was hurt, and if he had hit anything.  He already seemed to be significantly more stable on his feet and tried to wave off any help, but promised to swing by the hospital to get checked out.

Bella spent the next hour listening to them recall the events to the police and wait for the tow truck to arrive.  She had no idea what had just transpired, and the story they told the cops gave her no real answers about what happened.  The others had all arrived shortly after the police, descending upon the three in total panic until they could see for themselves that the only real damage done was to the car.

Eventually, Bella sat on the curb by herself and observed everybody around her as if she was watching a movie.  She had grown tired of cryptic conversation, though in this instance she understood the need for it since there were still a number of people hanging around who wouldn’t understand this parallel universe she now existed in.  But in that moment, she felt more disassociated than ever. 

Alice was the first to join her.  She didn’t say anything, simply sat down next to her and laid her head on Bella’s shoulder.  Jasper came over moments later and, without a word, sat next Alice and propped his elbows on his knees.  Bella watched as Emmett and Rosalie whispered quietly to each other on the opposite side of the street where his car had once been.

As soon as the last cop got into his car and drove off, Edward walked over and stopped in front of the three friends.

When he didn’t offer any explanation, Bella spoke up.  A single word was all that was necessary.  “Who?”

His voice was so quiet that she almost didn’t hear him.  “Demetri.”

She had assumed as much.  There would’ve been no reason for the subtle changes to the story given to the police if it had truly been an accident.  The entire time she had been sitting there, a single thought dominated her mind but she was still afraid to give voice to it.  Instead she looked at Edward, lowered the wall, and thought, “ _I was supposed to be in that car._ ”

His only response was a slight nod.

Bella closed her eyes as tight as she could, but a single tear still slipped out as an alternate possibility ran through her now guarded mind—one where she was the passenger with an incapacitated Emmett as Demetri had intended.  She had been so shaken up, so paralyzed with fear as a witness to the accident; would she have been in any condition to fight Demetri if she had been in the car as he’d thought?  All the training in the world wouldn’t be sufficient if she wasn’t in the right state of mind to act when the moment called for it. 

Psychokinesis may have made her a commanding force, but something as common and ordinary as fear had the potential to wipe away every advantage her power gave her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The sound of crickets and other noisy insects just beyond the tree line was the only thing preventing Bella from wallowing in total silence.  She hadn’t said a word since they'd left the scene of the accident, and when they arrived at the house, she made her way to the back deck to think.

She sat unmoving on the top step, unable to truly feel anything.  It was as if everything she had experienced lately existed outside of her, simply a movie she was watching as it played out all around her.  Judging by the sun’s position in the sky, she had been out there for a while before she started hearing movement inside the house.  Footsteps, quiet conversation, a television, they were all background noise.  She didn’t even turn to see who had joined her when she heard the French door open and close.

“You’re going to freeze.”

She hadn’t registered the drop in temperature until Edward brought it to her attention.  The warmth of the blanket he draped over her shoulders caused her to shiver from the immediate difference, and she pulled it tightly around her.

He sat down next to her, leaning against the opposite rail.  Neither said a word, both staring off into the woods. The sun dropped even lower before they heard the door open and close again as two sets of footsteps sounded behind them.

From the corner of her eye, Bella saw Alice rest her elbows on the railing and turned her head to look when she started speaking.

“Rosalie just called.  They’re on their way back from the hospital and should be here soon.”

“Is everything okay?” Bella asked, her voice cracking from lack of use.

She cringed at the scrape of metal against wood when Jasper spun a chair around before joining the conversation.  “Mostly just bruises.  No broken bones, no concussion, but he has some pretty nasty whiplash.  He’ll be sore for a few days, but for the most part, he’s fine.”

“What the hell happened after I called?” Alice asked.

She heard Edward shift and breathed a sigh of relief that he was going to answer.  She still hadn’t made sense of things yet, and she knew if she tried to retell the events, Alice and Jasper would end up even more confused.

“Once you told me that you saw the accident and I sped up, I picked up Demetri’s thoughts. He was tracking Emmett, thinking Bella was with him since he can’t track her directly.”

Bella furrowed her brow, not needing to ask for clarification before Edward turned to look at her.  “He’s a tracker.  He can read the tenor of a person’s mind to pinpoint their exact location.  If the person he’s tracking has a power, it magnifies his ability—he zones right in on it.  But with you, he can only sense that you’re in the area—that’s how he figured out you were here initially—but your shield seems to keep him from getting anything more than a hint, and only when he’s already in the vicinity.   He can’t track you with any kind of precision.  From what I could read from his thoughts, he has to already be nearby to tell that you even exist, and even then the range seems to be quite a few miles.  You could be anywhere in that radius, so he has to track you by proxy.”

 “So he tracked Emmett instead, not knowing that you guys changed plans at the last minute?” Alice asked.

Edward shrugged.  “Yeah.  There was no way for him to know that she wasn’t in Emmett’s car.  The bits and pieces that I picked up before he took off suggest that they had their own psychic keeping tabs on Bella who saw her leaving with Emmett.   He was planning on incapacitating him—it wasn’t intended to be fatal or anything—but he wanted to hit him hard enough to knock him out so he wouldn’t interfere.”

“Interfere?” Bella asked, already knowing the answer.

“He was hoping with Emmett out of commission that you wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight before he could get you out of there.”

Bella trembled at the confirmation, and she heard a gasp and muttered expletives behind her.

“I didn’t think they’d get so bold so fast.”  Jasper seemed to be talking more to himself than to the group, and a wave of silence passed over them all as they considered this development and what it meant for them.

“Why are they moving so quickly?” Alice asked, and Bella saw the familiar distance in her eyes when she was scanning visions for answers.  “They’ve always been more patient than this.”

Before Alice could find anything, Edward answered, “Because they’re afraid she’s getting too close.”

A silent conversation passed between the two siblings, and though their faces illustrated every expression, Bella didn’t have the have enough experience reading their interactions to be able to decipher their exchanges.  It was clear to her, though, that Alice still had many more questions she was too afraid to ask.

“Too close to what?”  She didn’t care about a silent agreement to not discuss the specifics.  She wanted answers; she needed them if she was going to make sense of what was happening around her.

Alice spoke up this time.  “They assume you’d be more reluctant to go along with them if your ties to us are too strong.  They must see how well we all get along, that we’re becoming good friends, and that there’s already this _connection_ starting, so they want to move quickly before it turns into anything… more.”

It was a curious choice of words, but Bella didn’t pay much attention to how carefully selected they were.  Instead, she internally laughed at the idea that these people thought it was simply her friendships that would get in their way.  Knowing what she did, it didn’t matter if she never spoke to these people again; she’d never align herself with The Volturi.

“So, what happens now?” Bella had considered a few possibilities, but aware of how little she knew, she deferred to the others for more educated theories.

“Do you see anything, Alice?” Jasper asked.  He straightened in his seat when Alice walked over, making room for her to sit on his lap.

“I think they realized they put us on high alert and are going to lay low for a while.”  She rubbed at her temples as she tried to focus.  “That was kind of a one shot deal, so now they have to step back and regroup.”

“But they’re staying here.”  It wasn’t a question, and Bella was momentarily confused until she noticed that Edward was staring blankly ahead, most likely honed in on whatever images were flickering through Alice’s mind.

“Looks that way,” Alice answered.  “I see Felix and Demetri in the same house they’ve been working from, but I can’t see them deciding to make another move for her.”

“What? They’re just going to sit around and twiddle their thumbs?  They have to have something in mind.”  The lack of solid answers seemed to irritate Jasper, but Bella couldn’t blame him.  It would be much easier to form a plan of action if they had a better idea of what they were facing.

Edward stood up, but didn’t move from his spot.  Instead, he turned and leaned back against the rail so he no longer had his back to the conversation.  “From what I can tell, they’re going to try to figure out a way to hack Emmett’s security, see if they can get surveillance inside the house while they wait for further instructions.  Did I read that right?”

Alice nodded.  “That’s how I interpreted the vision, too.  I don’t see them succeeding, but we’ll tell Emmett to watch out.”

“Watch out for what?” Emmett asked, startling those who hadn’t realized he had joined them.

Bella turned around and cringed when she saw the two black eyes and other bruises already starting to form.  With confirmation that she was the intended target, her feelings of guilt spiked, and although she wanted to make sure he was all right, she was too afraid to ask.

She was the only one who hesitated, as Alice, Jasper, and Edward began questioning him at once.

Emmett held his hands up in the air and chuckled.  “I’m fine, I’m fine.  Take it easy.”

Rosalie stepped out from the shadows and scowled at him.  “He isn’t ‘fine’—he’s banged up, came way too close to about ten different serious injuries, and he refused painkillers.”

The stress, anxiety, and worry evident in the way Rosalie carried herself made Bella feel worse, as if news of just how close Emmett had come to being gravely hurt wasn’t enough on its own.

Emmett rolled his eyes with a half grin on his face, his upbeat nature refusing to yield to the seriousness of the situation.  “That stuff messes with my head, I can’t think right and my flashes are too unpredictable.  Ibuprofen is all I need.  I have to keep a clear mind since it sounds like I have some work to do,” he said, referring to the conversation he interrupted.

“Yeah,” Alice said.  “From what we can tell, Demetri and Felix will leave us alone, but they’re going to spend their time trying to figure out if there are any holes in your security that they can tap into so they can watch us.”

Emmett snorted and sat down in one of the open chairs.  “Not gonna happen.  Our shit’s more secure than the White House.  I’ll still keep an eye on things… see if there are any extra precautions we can take.”

Rosalie claimed the chair next to Emmett and drummed her fingers on the arm in irritation.  “So what the hell happened today?  What the fuck was that all about?”

“I had a vision about the crash, that Demetri was tracking Emmett and intended to hit him.  As soon as I made the decision to call him, I saw that he wouldn’t answer his phone, so I called Edward instead.”  Alice shot Emmett a sharp look.  “You had the radio up too loud.  You wouldn’t have heard your phone ring.”

He ducked his head to hide his laugh, still not taking things too seriously, then looked up at her through his lashes.  “Oops?”

Everybody but Bella and Rosalie stifled laughs as Edward picked up the story where Alice left off.  “As soon as she told me what was going to happen, I sped up to try to catch you, hoping I could get your attention, warn you before it was too late.”

“What was the point?” Emmett asked. “That was pretty extreme.  What the hell was Demetri trying to accomplish?”

The story didn’t get any easier the second time around, and she dreaded Emmett’s reaction when he found out all of his injuries were because of her.  The fact that Edward seemed so hesitant to explain—judging by the way he thrust his hands into his pockets and fidgeted from foot to foot—didn’t ease her mind.

“I picked up on Demetri’s thoughts almost immediately.  He thought Bella was with you and was trying to get to her.”

Silence weighed heavy in the air until Rosalie’s voice shattered it.  “So, it’s all your fault?  I knew this was a mistake.  We never should’ve put ourselves on the line.  Emmett nearly gets killed, and you walk away without a scratch.  How fucking convenient.”

 Bella stood up and wobbled at the ache in her legs from sitting for so long.  She tightened the blanket around her as if it could hide her away from the world.  “I know—”

She was interrupted as Rosalie continued her tirade.  “No, you don’t know.  You have no idea what we’ve all been through.  You haven’t had to deal with the shit we’ve put up with, so don’t tell me _you know_.”

“Hey hey,” Emmett said in an attempt to soothe Rosalie, to settle her down.  “It isn’t her fault this happened. She didn’t ask for it, and I’m fine.”

Tears began to prick in Bella’s eyes when she saw Rosalie’s begin to water as she looked up at Emmett.  “But you almost weren’t,” she said quietly.  In the next instant, the bitterness was back and she glared at Bella.  “Because they were after _her_ , you were almost killed.”

She began to advance, and before Bella could react, Edward stepped in front of her.

“And because of _her_ ”—his tone mimicked Rosalie’s—“Emmett walked away relatively unscathed.”

It took a moment, but Emmett, who had been distracted trying to pull Rosalie back, stopped what he was doing to look at Edward.  “Wait, what?”

From where she stood, only the slight shift of Edward’s head told her that he had taken his attention from Rosalie.  “She pushed Demetri’s SUV out of the way as soon as she saw that it was heading for you.  It would’ve been a perpendicular hit at full speed right at the driver’s side door if she hadn’t acted.”

If she hadn’t been watching Rosalie, she would’ve missed the shock and panic that flittered across her face before her widened eyes returned to an icy stare.

“Holy shit, you moved a two thousand pound SUV for me?”

“I—” Bella halted her words, not knowing what to say, since she had nearly forgotten about it in the chaos that ensued just afterwards.  She had acted on reflex, and was too caught up in the memory of that split second decision to answer.

“That doesn’t change the fact that she’s the reason it happened in the first place.”  Rosalie’s tone was less confident than before, the effort to maintain her hostility clearly more difficult.   “None of this would’ve happened if she—”

“You might not want to finish that thought.”

The low warning in Edward’s voice caught Bella off guard, and she looked over at Alice to see the same surprise registered in her expression.

Rosalie, however, was unwilling to back down.  She scoffed and rolled her eyes, and Bella noted that Edward’s posture straightened with tension as she began to speak.  “Just because now you—”

“Rosalie,” he growled, cautioning her to stop before she went too far.  Whatever expression was on his face must have said enough, because Rosalie didn’t continue.

“Do you realize that she would most likely still be completely unknown to them if it wasn’t for us?  We led them right to her.”

“They would’ve found her eventually. They were looking for her, and it was only a matter of time, regardless of whether or not we found her first.”

Bella stepped closer, not wanting to miss a single word.  Edward maintained his position in front of her, keeping her from getting in the middle of the confrontation, so she had to manage with her position behind him, peering around his arm at Rosalie.

“We’re the only reason they know she exists.  They came here for us, and they found her.  If we hadn’t brought them here, she’d have gone about her life uninvolved in any of this.  Demetri can’t track her, he can only tell she’s close, so if he hadn’t been in town to keep tabs on us, they’d still be completely oblivious.”

Rosalie didn’t respond, unable to counter Edward’s argument.

“If you want to blame her,” he said, “just remember that she has just as much right to blame us.”

Bella tried to step around Edward, but he shifted to the side to keep her behind him.  Frustrated, she shoved her shoulder into his bicep and pushed her way past him.  He stumbled to the side and rubbed at the spot, whispering a quiet, “Ow.”

“Here’s a novel idea—why don’t we stop pointing fingers and focus on who’s really to blame here.”

She’d been so quiet and subdued all evening that Bella’s new bravado caught everybody by surprise, and no one responded.  She rolled her eyes.  “What are we going to do about them?”

Jasper was the first to shake off the stupor.  “Who? Felix and Demetri?”

“No,” Bella said, then shook her head.  “Yes.  I mean, obviously we have to deal with them, but The Volturi as a whole.  What are we going to do?”

Bella’s eyes travelled to each person, waiting for a response before Alice finally spoke up, though her voice indicated a hesitance and lack of faith in her answer.  “I guess we keep an eye on them so we can be proactive.”

Bella groaned in frustration and stomped her foot.  “That’s not good enough.”

“Then what are you talking about?” Edward asked.   “What are you thinking?”

She took a deep breath and held a hand to her forehead for a moment before her fingers slid into her hair and gripped a handful, visible signs of her aggravation.  “I just… think that we need to _do_ something.  So far, sitting around and waiting for them to decide, waiting for them to make a move doesn’t seem to be working.”

“I know you’re new here, but in case you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s too risky,” Rosalie said.  She crossed her arms, a nonverbal complement to her lack of willingness to accept anything Bella had to say.

“And this isn’t?  I think today is a pretty good indicator that staying on the defensive is just as risky.”  Bella didn’t have a set plan in mind, but she was certain that they couldn’t continue as they had been, and she would argue the point until they saw her side.

“What are you getting at?”  Alice asked.  “I can’t see where you’re going with this.”

“I don’t know for sure, but don’t you think it’s time that someone tries to stop them for good?”  Bella was pleading for them to understand.

“We’ve always—” Emmett’s words were cut off before he could finish his thought. 

“It doesn’t matter what you’ve ‘always’ done, it isn’t working.  From everything you guys have told me since I got here, The Volturi’s actions have grown steadily worse for years—for decades.  This duck and cover routine isn’t doing a damn thing.  You complain about how much you hate having to live life always looking over your shoulder, but it’s only going to get worse if someone doesn’t stop them.”

She was getting worked up, and the more they questioned her, the more restless she grew.  Unable to bear the perplexed expressions staring back at her, she dropped her head backwards and looked up at the sky and sighed before she continued. 

“You guys have been covering for them, giving the green light to continue business as usual.  Just today you lied your asses off and covered for Demetri.  Now there’s an unresolved hit-and-run that will never be followed up on, rather than a kidnapping attempt that would have had a chance of being taken seriously.”

“We can’t just out ourselves.  There are too many risks if everybody finds out about us.”  Edward’s voice was despondent, drawing Bella’s attention.  He was standing so close, not having moved when she shoved her way past.  She still didn’t know much about him, but every action and reaction she’d seen indicated that he, more than any of them, was the most desperate to find a way to distance himself from The Volturi permanently.

“But are those risks more dangerous than this?” she asked, her voice quiet, as if they were having a private conversation.  “Worst case scenario, all of our secrets spill out for the public to consume… any negative reactions will at least be restricted by the law.  The fact that we cover for them is as good as giving them carte blanche to do whatever the hell they want without any kind of regulation.  Everyone has allowed them to operate independent of the law, above the law… and it’s only going to get worse.”

They continued to stare at each other, thinking, considering, before Edward gave the slightest nod in concession.

Bolstered by this small acceptance, Bella elaborated.  “We don’t even have to ‘out ourselves,’ necessarily,” she said.  She noticed the way everybody seemed to pay a little more attention.  “I have no idea where to even start, but I can’t imagine there isn’t some sort of paper trail, some kind of tangible links that will prove they have a role in whatever illegal activities they’re taking part in.  Even if they’re using people like us to do it, there has to be _something_.”

“You know,” Jasper began, drawing the attention of the other five.  He didn’t immediately continue, but the contemplative expression on his face was enough to will the others to be patient.  He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair and would occasionally nod at whatever thought had just crossed his mind, until finally his attention returned to his friends.  “You know, she might be on to something.  They aren’t leaving behind traditional evidence, but that doesn’t mean there’s _no_ evidence.”

“Exactly,” Bella said, throwing her hands in the air and breathing a sigh of relief that she wasn’t fighting this alone anymore.

“Wait, wait!  I see where you’re going with this.  The authorities have never come close to linking them to anything before, because they’re looking for fingerprints and shit that they aren’t gonna find because of people like us.”  Emmett waved his hand in a circular motion, indicating to the group.  The excitement in the way he bounced around made it difficult not to smile, and Bella felt truly hopeful for the first time in a while.

“Right.”  It was Edward who spoke up this time, surprising Bella.  Though they’d made significant progress lately, she still thought he’d be the toughest sell.  “But there has to be enough out there to tie them to all of the people they’ve allowed to take the fall for them to prove that they’re the masterminds behind everything.”

“But is it safe?” Rosalie asked, looking over at Alice.

Alice smiled. “I think it is.  As long as we decide to hold whatever information we find to use as leverage against them, they’ll back off indefinitely.  If we go in with the intention of immediately turning everything over to the authorities, that’s when things turn ugly.”

“So, theoretically, if we decide we’re just going to collect this information so that we have a bargaining chip, we’re fine, but once it’s collected, should the opportunity present itself for us to make a snap decision to hand it over…”  Jasper trailed off, grinning at Alice.

“Yes, _theoretically_ , we’d be perfectly safe.”  Alice glanced over at Rosalie who gave a hesitant nod, the best approval Bella could hope for from the girl.

Emmett turned and dashed into the house mumbling something about paper.  Bella heard a light chuckle, and was again reminded of just how close Edward stood.  He was watching the Emmett’s retreating form, and when he noticed Bella looking at him, he shrugged and said, “He’s already planning.”

Rosalie was the first to head back inside the house, followed almost immediately by Jasper and Alice.  Edward took a few steps then turned to where Bella was still standing.

“You okay?” he asked.

Now that everybody seemed to be on board, Bella began to worry about the expectations for her plan.  While she didn’t doubt that they needed to be proactive, the fact that this was happening at her suggestion made her anxious.  The pressure to succeed was overwhelming, and she knew if she didn’t get her imagination under control and stop thinking of all the ways it could go wrong she would drive herself crazy.

After a few moments, she nodded.  “Yeah.”

By the time she and Edward found everybody else in the kitchen, Emmett had sketched out something akin to a family tree.  The elaborate diagram linked the three heads of The Volturi, their immediate representatives, and every person that had been arrested or suspected of illegal activity on their behalf.

There were still a number of holes to fill in before the ties would be too definitive for Aro, Marcus, and Caius to deny their role, but in just minutes, it was obvious that the friends’ plan had promise.

“So, did you just—” Bella asked, motioning to her temple, unsure of how to word her question to Emmett.

He continued to sketch and fill in blanks.  “A little of it, but for the most part this is all common knowledge in our little ‘community’ here.  I’ve already flashed on a few key pieces of information, public records that corroborate some of this.  It’s a good start.  I just need to figure out where that information is stored and get hard copies of all documentation.”

“We need to work on this quickly,” Jasper added.  “We have to get our copies before they have a chance to destroy those records.”

“It’s been a long day.  We aren’t going to make much progress tonight,” Alice said from her perch on one of the chairs positioned around the island.  “It’s better if we wait until morning… get a good night’s sleep and dive into this with clear heads.  We can’t afford to be tired and sloppy.”

“We’ll need to make some phone calls.  I’m sure we can get some of the others to help,” Edward suggested as he began scribbling notes onto a spare sheet of paper.  Bella watched as his hands moved furiously, trying to jot everything down before he forgot.  From the opposite side of the island she couldn’t read anything, but it appeared to be a list of names.  Having a plan in place seemed to give him an overwhelming drive to finally do something to change their lives.

“I know our phone lines are secure, but we don’t know about everyone else’s.  If you need me to project to anybody to pass along the details, just let me know.  If this has even the slightest chance of working, I want…” Rosalie trailed off, not finishing her thought.  Her eyes caught Bella’s before she gave a hesitant half-smile, then quickly looked away.  This small gesture was enough to stun Bella speechless.

They continued to work together until Emmett had sketched out his tree as much as he could.  The attention Bella received as she attempted to make her way to her bedroom embarrassed her.   It started with smiles and praises by Alice and Jasper as they headed out.  Then Emmett wrapped a muscled arm around her neck, stopping just short of a full headlock.

“Can’t believe you played ‘bumper cars’ for me today,” he said, laughing.  “And you thought you hadn’t earned rent,” he scoffed, teasing her, and rolled his eyes before grinning and bounding up the stairs.

“Thank you for not letting Demetri hit him any harder.”  Bella hadn’t noticed Rosalie come up to stand next to her, and she had spoken so quietly that Bella almost didn’t hear her.  Rosalie followed Emmett, not sticking around long enough for Bella to respond.

She hated the attention, it made her feel uncomfortable, and as soon as she thought it was over, she noticed Edward just outside her room.  He was leaning against the wall next to her door with his hands in his pockets and legs crossed at the ankles.  It couldn’t have been any more obvious that he was waiting for her, and each step that brought her closer to him made her more nervous.

The way he watched her made her feel self-conscious and unable to speak once she was close enough.  His eyes studied her face for a moment and he seemed to struggle to find words before he spoke.  “Thank you for making us really think about things today.  I guess it just takes a new perspective sometimes.  We’ve all lived our lives playing this game with them, just trying to exist without being caught.  It seems so obvious now, but I don’t think it ever occurred to us to find a way to finally take them down.”

He pushed himself from the wall and stood before her.  He towered over her, forcing Bella to look up at him.  Words still eluded her.

“I don’t know how this is all going to play out,” he said, and raked his hands through his hair, nervous.  “But you’re completely right.  It’s worth the risk.  Nothing is going to get better by sticking to the status quo, so none of us will regret taking this step.  I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m just glad that, after the way I treated you in the beginning, that you still stuck around.  You didn’t deserve it, and most of it wasn’t even about you.  It doesn’t seem like enough, but… I’m sorry.”

Bella swallowed past the lump in her throat and whispered, “Thank you.”

Again, he studied her, and his mouth opened and closed a few times as if he had more to say.  Finally, he cracked a crooked smile.  “Now get some sleep, tomorrow’s going to be a busy day.”

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Bella had exiled herself to the kitchen, trying her best to stay out of everybody’s way.  For days the house had been a flurry of activity, its residents in constant motion as they tried to gather as much information as possible while it was still available.  She helped out where she could, often spending hours hunched over a laptop logged into the university’s library system for access to the dozens of databases made available to students.  Since she wasn’t sure what she was looking for, so she was only of use when given a specific task.

She worked closely with Emmett, learning quickly that he needed the most help.  In addition to the details being fed to them by friends and acquaintances, the flashes of information were coming too fast for him to keep up.  He’d scribble notes detailing as much as he could about what evidence was available and where, and the two would camp out side by side in the living room trying to locate and save each bit before it was gone forever.

They’d been too late for some, finding only dead links or altered documents, but for the most part they were successful.  While Emmett’s roughly drawn tree still had holes, it was filling in and expanding nicely.

The other facet of their research involved evidence that wasn’t publicly available.  Personal photographs and copies of written communication were being sent from all over the world as the rest of the roommates touched base with others in this odd little community.  Some were hesitant about any involvement, but most were wholly supportive and eager to assist.

It was at times when the research focused on those pieces that Bella felt helpless.  She had nobody that she could call—or visit, in Rosalie’s case—to ask for assistance. 

“Cookies?”

Bella closed the oven door and turned to see Edward’s amused yet curious expression.  She shrugged.  “I’m not much use out there”—she waved the spatula in her hand in the general direction of the living room—“but I felt like I needed to keep busy or I’d drive myself crazy.  Seemed like a better choice than just sitting there getting in everybody’s way.”

“Chocolate chip? For future reference—these are always the better choice.”  He grinned as he swiped a few off of the cooling rack, then dodged as she swatted the spatula at his hand.  “Mmm, still warm.”

One cookie was devoured entirely before he made it over to the island.    When he set the others down on a napkin and headed over to the refrigerator, Bella took the opportunity to steal them back.  In seconds, the cookies were in her hands as she fought not to laugh and give herself away, an almost impossible feat when she saw the momentary look of confusion when his eyes fell upon the empty napkin.

As soon as he looked up at her where she hadn’t moved, she took a dramatic bite out of one.  “Mmm.”

“So not fair,” he whined.

Without giving him time to react, she yelled, “Catch!” and started throwing cookies at him like Frisbees.  He flinched and ducked, and a laugh finally burst from Bella when his shoulders slumped and his face dropped with confusion until the realization hit that she had guided them right back to the napkin.

“Not funny,” he said, pointing a finger at her and feigning a severe look.  When she laughed again, his mouth turned up into a crooked grin and he winked. 

Bella immediately turned back to the cookie sheet that sat on top of the stove and busied herself by transferring the remainder to the cooling rack.  Her lips quirked into a smile against her will.  For a moment, she allowed herself to wonder how different things would be had this been the Edward she had initially met, rather than the angry man who instantly put her on trial and condemned her before she could speak a word.

She was startled from her thoughts by a hand that reached around her and pilfered more cookies.

“You probably should’ve made a double batch,” he said.

“I did.”

He shrugged.  “Then you should’ve made a quadruple batch.”

Again, he grabbed a few and took off before she could stop him, laughing the whole way, and by the time he made it back to the island, the others were joining them, following their noses and depleting the stash of finished cookies.

Bella stepped aside, wide eyed and stunned at how quickly they disappeared and moderately aware of moans of appreciation filling the room.  When her eyes found Edward again, he smirked and pointed a cookie at her and said, “Quadruple batch,” before stuffing it in his mouth.

She burst into laughter and turned around to scoop more dough onto the empty cookie sheet.

“What’s so funny?” Alice mumbled, attempting to refrain from spitting crumbs from her full mouth.

Bella shook her head, still chuckling.  “Aside from the fact that you guys just inhaled almost three dozen cookies in under a minute?”

“We all needed a break.  Can we help it if you provided the perfect distraction?”  Emmett said.  “Anyway, I wanted to show you guys something.”

He didn’t make a move to continue.

“Sooo…” Edward let the word draw out in hopes that Emmett would fill them in.

“So what?” he asked.

Alice cuffed his shoulder.  “So, fill us in.  You don’t rally the troops just to leave them hanging.”

He brushed the crumbs off of his hands and spread a few papers out on the surface of the island as Bella walked over, craning her neck to see.  “What is all of this?”

“You know those links you sent me last night?”  

She nodded, recalling the lists of companies she’d found in one of the databases that had been named as investors in various questionable projects.  Much of the information was quite old, dating back to the seventies and eighties, so she hadn’t thought it would prove very useful as they’d been focusing on more recent events.  She looked up at Emmett, waiting for him to explain what he’d managed to glean from the information.

“Motherfucking jackpot.”  The smile on his face was contagious, and though she still didn’t know what he had found, she couldn’t help but grin in response.

“Really?”

Alice squeezed in between the two for a better view, even though Emmett was angling the printouts so that everybody could see.  

“Really,” he repeated with assurance.  “Check this out, when I looked up who the heads of these companies were… well, let’s just say there were a few familiar names.”

Alice reached over and pulled out the list that Bella had originally found.  Most of the organizations had been scratched out, but a few of them were complemented with notes in the margins, arrows, and highlighting.  

From across the counter, Jasper tugged one of the printouts from underneath the stack.  It only took a moment before recognition flitted across his face and he scrambled, searching for something in the pile of papers.  Everybody watched as he laid three documents side by side and compared them with the master list.

Bella looked around at the others: Emmett was smug, Edward was focused on Jasper with a furrowed brow, and Alice and Rosalie looked just as impatient as she felt.

After what seemed like forever, Jasper straightened up and ran his hand over his mouth before exhaling a shaky breath. Bella didn’t know what to make of his response until he shook his head, grinning.

“We got ‘em.”

Emmett’s smile widened.  “It’s close enough, right?”

“We really have enough proof?” Edward asked.

Jasper nodded as Emmett spoke.  “This is only one example.  We have more.  A lot more.  Too much for them to deny the connections.”

In the couple months that she’d lived with this group, she’d somehow grown used to these half-conversations.  She couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up when Alice huffed in annoyance and Rosalie grumbled, “Fantastic, now does anyone care to fill the rest of us in?”

She pressed her lips together in an attempt to stop, but it didn’t work and the sound of the snort that escaped only made her laugh harder. 

“Sorry, sorry,” she said, the pitch of her voice too high for normal conversation, earning her a few strange looks.  “It’s just nice to not be the only one in the dark for once.  I almost feel like I should offer you guys pointers on how to fake not looking completely oblivious.”

“Don’t bother—you’re not very good at hiding it.”  Alice grinned and winked at Bella and the two girls dissolved into laughter.

A forced cough did the trick in settling them down.

“Sorry,” Bella mumbled, apologizing once more.  The part of her that had grown used to the near constant conflict  in the house worried for a moment that her giggle fit might have been inappropriate, but as she looked around, she only saw expressions of amusement.

Though they’d managed to find middle ground and hadn’t clashed in quite some time, Bella found that she still expected to do or say the wrong thing, triggering Edward’s anger.  It was almost a Pavlovian response after so many battles between the two.  She was always prepared to go on the defensive, however she couldn’t find it in her to be disappointed that these days it was an unwarranted reaction.  

The look he was giving her now was wholly different, yet still made her feel a little uncomfortable, so she tried to deflect attention.  “Okay, so what did you find?”

Emmett took over once again.  “I noticed some of the same names repeating, and it didn’t take long to trace these  histories.  So, with this one we start out in the seventies with this group that was suspected of aiding Iran in funding nuclear reactors.  Nothing ever came of it that I can tell, but a couple of these guys were brought up on charges for unrelated crimes.”

Emmett set the papers to the side and pulled out new ones. “Fast forward to the eighties and you see the same men accused of the same thing—mix and match, sometimes working together, and sometimes a new name will pop up.”

He laid out a few more printouts, these ones more current.  “More recently, we’re down to just a couple of them linked to some pretty shady activities.  It looks like in the past five or ten years they realized just how much money can be made by prolonging civil wars—particularly in areas that the rest of the world doesn’t give a shit about and where there is no hurry to intervene.  They play both sides to escalate the conflict, then siphon off millions when aid finally comes in from other countries.  In just the past couple of hours I’ve been able to link one of them in particular to a number of conflicts in Africa, though blood diamonds seem to be his favorite cause these days. He funded and organized a pretty lucrative operation to trade weapons for them. He’s actually in prison right now, busted for trying to get around UN sanctions.”

“So how does this all trace back to the Volturi?” Rosalie asked, and a slow smile spread across his face as if he had been waiting for that opening.

“Well, he also happens to pop up in a few of the pictures we’ve been sent.”  Emmett paused to lay out a few photographs he had printed, and just like the information he had presented, the pictures showed a timeline dating back to the seventies.  Bella didn’t recognize any of the faces, but it was clear that the others did.

It was Edward who took the initiative to fill her in as the others chattered away over the revelations.  He spoke quietly, only for her ears as he pointed to three different pictures with each name he spoke.  “Aro. Marcus. Cauis.  Those are the three that started this whole mess.”

It was the first time she’d ever seen them and she wasn’t sure what she thought.  Her mind’s eye had envisioned them much differently.  She had pictured them much more intimidating and menacing.  The reality presented her with three rather unsightly men, a little smarmy and nobody she would trust, but none were anybody that she would suspect as having the brains to pull off anything more complicated than shoplifting a pack of gum.  Without thinking, she quietly verbalized her opinion but enough for Edward to hear causing him to laugh loudly and earn the attention of everybody in the room.

Bella blushed at being the cause of disruption and had to think on her feet to distract everybody.  Looking down at the pictures once more, she quickly noted the recurring subject and pointed him out.  “So this is the guy?”

“Yep,” Emmett said and she looked up to see a sly grin.  “And I believe you already know his son.”

She furrowed her brow; other than the five people standing with her, she didn’t know anybody connected to this world.

“Felix,” he said, answering her unspoken question.

“Holy shit,” she breathed out, then slapped a hand over her mouth.  Things had long ago turned too real for her liking, but having yet another link brought it all into even sharper focus.  “But why would he continue to work for the Volturi if his dad is in prison because of them?”

Jasper leaned forward on his elbows.  “It’s all part of the risk they take.  They know there’s always a chance they’ll get caught, but the Volturi make it worth their while financially.  Not to mention the guy will probably be out of there on some technicality in no time.  Felix wouldn’t look at this situation and blame them for his dad’s conviction.  He’d just see it as part of the job.”

“So what does he do? I mean, is he like us?” she asked.

Her question seemed to have stumped the group because they all looked to each other, shrugging and shaking their heads.

“We’ve never really heard much about him,” Alice said, looking over to her brother as he nodded to back her up.  “My guess is that he’s just very well-connected, something the Volturi value almost as much as being talented.  They wouldn’t be where they are if they didn’t know the right people.”

“I don’t think it’s really important right now,” Edward said.  “We needed things we could take to the authorities if we had to, so the fact that we can show these ties without so much as hinting at any special powers will only work in our favor.”

Emmett shuffled through papers once again, pointing out highlighted names as he went.  “We already have so many more.  This is just one instance, but with all of these others it won’t take much for the authorities to infer who exactly is involved.  Even if Aro, Marcus, and Caius aren’t getting their hands dirty, there are too many ties to known and suspected criminals for them to claim innocence.” 

“And we’re just getting started,” Rosalie interrupted.  “There are so many other avenues we haven’t explored, information we haven’t found or information we _have_ found but haven’t had the time to wade through yet.”

The relief and pride in her voice was reflected on the faces of everybody in the room, and the confidence they’d gained from this discovery buoyed them all, giving them the momentum they needed to press forward.

*****

Unfortunately, as much as they’d have loved to be able to devote all of their time to research and information gathering, real life still demanded their attention.  In Bella’s case, she had to figure out a way to juggle school with everything that was happening all around her.

They hadn’t seen Felix or Demetri in weeks, but that didn’t mean she was left to wander the campus on her own. She tried not to ruminate too much on why Edward had taken over more of the ‘babysitting’ shifts, walking her to and from class each day, and instead fell into step beside him trying to appreciate the opportunity to see this new side of his personality.

“Hey now,” he admonished as he teasingly swatted her hand away from the radio dials when they got into the car.

She redirected her efforts to crank up the heat.  “Fine, you can have the radio.  I’m taking control of this.”

He laughed as she rubbed her hands together in front of the vents, even though they hadn’t had enough time to heat up.  “It’s not even that cold outside yet.”

“I spent the past four years in Florida, remember?  I think my blood thinned or something.”  Her words were accented with a shudder as a cold chill passed through her body.

“How are you going to manage when winter _really_ hits?”

She took a moment to think before shrugging, trying to sound as serious as possible.  “Long johns and those disposable heat packs that hunters use?”

She was oddly proud at the laugh she was able to draw from him.

The house was quiet when they arrived, and it didn’t take long for them to find out that Emmett was the only one at home, holed up as he tinkered with a new project.  He only looked up long enough to greet them before turning his attention back to the mess of wires and casings in front of him.

Bella claimed the chair next to him as Edward pushed computer parts away to clear a seat on the corner of the table, the two continuing their conversation.  Sure, it had started out as a joke, but it seemed to Bella that Edward had turned it into an opportunity to find out more about her.

“So what made you leave Florida if you don’t like the cold?” he asked.

She pulled a textbook from the bag at her feet and settled back in her chair, arching a brow at him.  “Ever been to Florida in September? A hundred degrees and so humid you can’t take two steps without breaking a sweat?”

“I don’t think Goldilocks had anything on you.  Too hot?  Too cold? ”

She sighed and looked off into space, wistful.  “Find me somewhere that’s sunny and seventy every day.  That’s all I need.  Just right.”

Her attention was brought back to Edward, though she tried to hide that fact.  He fidgeted, and the pensive expression on his face let her know that something was on his mind.  Giving him the time that he needed while trying to put a stop to the list of possibilities forming in her mind, she flipped through the pages searching for where she had left off.

From the fractional image she could see in her peripheral vision, combined with the sound of quick, stilted breaths each time he’d start to speak but stop himself, she had expected something serious.  She almost laughed at what had tied him into knots.

“So, your parents really have no idea?  That you can do… what you do?”  There was no accusation in his tone as there had been the first time this discussion had been broached.  He was genuinely curious, puzzled.

“As far as I know.”

“Sorry, I’m just having a hard time imagining how you could hide it for so long… especially when you were younger.”

Bella felt a small smile tug at her lip at his sheepish look on his face, his embarrassment apparent.  There was nothing about the topic to make either of them uneasy, but it was undeniably a novelty to be able to ask questions and carry a conversation without it devolving into an argument.

“If you knew my mother you’d understand completely.”  She laughed quietly to herself, taking a moment to reminisce before she explained.  “My mom’s a little… flighty.  You never know where her head is.  _She_ never knows where her head is half the time.  I was always pretty careful, but even when I slipped, she’s so unobservant on the best of days that she’d just wave it off and assume she hadn’t noticed.”

“But how did you know to hide it from her in the first place?” He leaned closer, and she started to feel awkward under his scrutiny.  She couldn’t imagine what was so interesting about her story that would require such devoted attention.

“I guess the same way any kid knows to hide things they do when they think they’ll get in trouble.” Her fingers ruffled the pages of the book in her lap, but judging by the way he patiently regarded her, he was hoping for more.  “Some of my earliest memories are of her putting my toys away, out of reach, and me waiting until she left to get them right back down.”

Two raucous laughs filled the room, the second startling Bella since she had somehow forgotten that Emmett was sitting right next to her.

“Damn, I coulda used someone like you around,” Emmett said.  “My parents were constantly taking my shit from me.”

“She really never figured it out?” Edward asked, still laughing.

Bella shrugged and shook her head.  “Usually, I’d hear her coming and get everything put away, but like I said, when I slipped up she just blamed her own lack of attention.  By the time I was old enough to realize that not everyone could do this, I was already in the habit of hiding it.”

“What’s so funny?” Alice asked as she slipped into the room and climbed up onto the table next to Edward.

Emmett clapped one of his hands on Bella’s shoulder and shook her.  “We were just listening to stories about how baby Bella fucked with her mother’s mind.”

“It’s no wonder the poor woman has no idea what’s going on if you were sneaking around behind her back moving things,” Edward joked.  “What about your dad?”

“More observant than my mom, but aside from a couple years in high school, I only had to worry about hiding my ability a couple weeks a year and the occasional holiday.”

Bella’s mood muted and the others seemed to sense the change, their laughs fading out.

“What’s wrong?” 

Bella hated being the reason behind the concern in Alice’s voice, but the direction of the conversation had ignited a feeling of guilt.

“Nothing, I just…” she trailed off, unsure how to explain how her mood had shifted so quickly and decisively.  She sat up straighter in her seat, ready to appeal to them to understand.  “I didn’t spend much time with my dad growing up.  I lived with him for about a year and a half until I graduated high school, and even though things were a little awkward, I think he liked having me around for once.  Then I moved away for four years.  I thought by coming back here, I’d find time to visit him every so often, but other than the two weeks before I moved into an apartment I’m not living in, I haven’t seen him once.”

“Oh, Bella—”

Bella held her hand up to stop Alice.  “I know. With everything that’s happened around here, it wasn’t exactly conducive to a big, happy family reunion.  I still feel bad, though.”

“Speaking of… ” Alice’s pause highlighted her uncertainty over whether the timing of her question was off.  “Have you figured out Thanksgiving?”

 Bella sighed; much of her guilt stemmed from this.  She understood the logic when she and Alice had discussed plans, but it didn’t mean she feel at least a little remorse that she had to lie to her father about why she wouldn’t be able to make it to his house for the holiday.

“Yeah, I talked to my dad this morning.  He was disappointed, but when I explained that finals were coming up he understood.  I’m such a terrible liar, I thought for sure he would see right through it.  Probably just figured I was nervous about letting him down.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Edward asked.

“She’s coming with us for Thanksgiving,” Alice explained.  

His confusion caught Bella by surprise.  She had assumed that everyone knew when Alice pitched the idea to her the day before, but clearly that wasn’t the case.  For a moment, she started to second-guess her decision.

“You’re spending turkey day with us? Kick ass.”  Emmett managed to ease a little of the tension but she was still afraid to face Edward.

“Hope that’s okay,” she said.  “Alice thought it would be better if I stick with you guys instead of going off with my dad alone until we get everything figured out.”

He was silent for a beat before snapping out of it.  “No, no, of course it’s okay.  It just caught me by surprise.  That doesn’t really happen all that much.”  He tapped his temple and grinned.

“I’ve had years of practice, there’s a lot you don’t know,” Alice teased, earning an elbow to the ribs.

“Jesus, Mom’s gonna be unbearable this year, isn’t she?”

Alice kicked her feet and laughed.  “You have no idea.  The moment I called to let her know I was going to ask Bella, my visions of her plans got progressively more elaborate by the hour.”

“Why, what’s going on?” Bella asked.  “She’s not going to go to any extra effort for me, is she?”

“One thing you need to understand about our mom is that she loves to play hostess,” Edward explained.  “The extra effort is arguably for herself.  You’re just a good excuse for her to go overboard.”

“Trust me, even if you asked her not to do anything special, you wouldn’t win,” Alice added.

Emmett leaned in, pretending to whisper.  “Don’t you dare even think about asking her to ease up.  If she wants to go all out on dinner, let her.  It’s been too long since I’ve had her cooking.”

“Whatever you do, sit as far away from Emmett as possible.  We can’t guarantee your safety if you get in the way,” Edward said, laughing loudly when Emmett flipped him off.

“This might take some getting used to, the whole big family dinner thing.”

Alice’s head tilted to the side as she regarded Bella.  “You guys don’t have any holiday traditions?”

One of Bella’s shoulders lifted into a shrug.  “Not really.   My mom can’t cook all that well, so we always found an open restaurant every year until I was old enough to take over in the kitchen, and we’d just have kind of a lazy day at the house.  The one Thanksgiving I spent with my dad I made dinner and we ate in the living room so he didn’t have to stop watching the game.”

“You’re going to think we’re a ridiculous cliché when you walk into our parents’ house.” Bella glanced up then quickly looked away, unwilling to dwell on her reaction to Edward’s soft smile.

She nearly sighed in relief when Emmett changed the course of conversation.  

“Hey, Bella.  Why don’t you do your Harry Potter thing and ‘Accio’ that soldering iron from the top shelf over there?”

She laughed and wondered when he would run out of jokes about her talent.  “Where is it?”

He pointed it out to her, and in seconds she had it in hand and was passing it to him.

“Damn convenient,” he said to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

“So what are you doing over there?” she asked as she craned her neck to see better.

“Okay, so you know how that whole accident could’ve been avoided if I had been able to hear the phone?”  He said it so matter-of-factly, so casual, that all Bella could do was nod.  “This little contraption—if I know what I’m doing—will shut the stereo off in the car when our cell phones ring.”

“It’ll work,” Alice said with the kind of certainty only she could offer.

Emmett winked at her as he picked up the little black metal shell and turned it as he admired his handiwork.  “It’ll pick up the signal from incoming calls and automatically turn the volume down.  I just need to make one for each of our cars and we’ll never have that problem again.”

“So you just… thought of it and started putting it together.” It wasn’t a question.  Bella was still in awe at the way he just _knew_ things.

“I told you I’m a genius, when are you going to accept that?”

“I’m getting there,” she said with a laugh.  “Especially when you cut my study time in half.  Speaking of…”

She allowed her words to trail off, knowing her hint was obvious.  He laughed.  “Give me twenty minutes and meet me in the living room with your laptop.”

“Nice,” she said as she slapped her book shut, knowing he’d lead her directly to the information she needed rather than wasting time wading through research that didn’t apply to her project.

She left the room behind Edward and Alice, and chuckled as Alice grumbled, “He never helps me with mine.”

Edward managed to get Alice into a headlock.  “That’s because you just see where you’re going to eventually find the answer, quit your whining.”

He let go and dodged Alice’s swing when she slapped at him before running her fingers through her now mussed hair.  There was a time not too long ago when Bella would have felt like a voyeur—that she wasn’t supposed to witness moments like this.  She knew that this carefree, lighthearted version of Edward was a side he hadn’t wanted her to see before.  The fact that he didn’t feel the need to guard himself in her presence was almost flattering.  Though part of her was reluctant to let go of all of her caution, she couldn’t deny that when she was in the moment it was getting harder to remember that the angry, resentful Edward ever existed.  It was a version of him she hoped they were past, that she’d never see directed at her again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The Monday before Thanksgiving the gang loaded into two cars for the drive to Edward and Alice's parents' house. Bella had a momentary attack of nervousness at the thought of hours in the car with Rosalie, and had to control the urge to audibly sigh in relief when Alice directed her to ride with her, Jasper, and Edward. It wasn't that things were still bad between her and Rosalie; in fact, they'd both made an effort to put the past behind them and attempt civility for once. But they were still awkward around each other, and once all small talk and pleasantries were exhausted they had little to continue with, and all conversations hit an uncomfortable lull until one or both girls found a flimsy excuse to leave.

Of course, Bella's other option was hours sitting next to Edward who made things just as awkward, though in a completely different way. But at least riding in his car, she'd have Alice to act as a buffer for the duration of the trip.

At first, she'd had trouble gauging Edward's sincerity, given how tempestuous their interactions were in the beginning. 'Friendly' was not a word she thought she'd ever use to describe him. But these days he was—consistently. Each day that passed without issue allowed her to drop her guard around him just a little more until it was second-nature to trust that he wouldn't turn on her again for some minor perceived slight. That part of their new friendship was easy.

His attention to her, however, often crossed a line that left Bella feeling like an insecure fifteen year old trying to decipher whether the cute boy was actually flirting with her, or if her imagination was reading too much into his actions. When she tried to view the situation objectively, she recognized the way he interacted with her was different than the way he was with Alice, or even Rosalie.

Under other circumstances, Bella might've been bold enough to flirt back just to see what his reaction would be, but this guy, in this context, made her hesitate. She couldn't deny that for a brief moment when she'd first seen him that she found him attractive. Very attractive. But his instantaneous hostility toward her negated all of those thoughts. For the longest time she couldn't see past the 'ugly' of his personality.

As he warmed to her, though, all of that slipped away, and she found herself considering possibilities she couldn't have envisioned even a month ago. More than once she caught herself wondering what his lips would taste like, what his arms would feel like wrapped around her, or even how content she would feel cuddled closely into his side as they shared a quiet conversation. Each time, she immediately chastised herself, forced herself to think of something else, and then felt instant gratitude that her power left her thoughts completely guarded.

So it would be an effort on her part to sit in the passenger seat of his car for the next few hours while keeping those kinds of thoughts at bay. Fortunately, they weren't alone, and when Alice was around, they were never lacking for conversation.

"Okay, tell me you see this too," Alice said, leaning forward with her elbows on both of the front seats. "That Lisa girl in class and the professor? Totally sleeping with each other, don't you think?"

Bella was stunned for a moment and tried to think back to any interaction she might've witnessed but had overlooked. Pieces started to fit together and she turned to Alice. "Well _now_ I do!"

Alice threw her head back and laughed, sitting back in her seat and enjoying the horrified expression on Bella's face.

"Scary mental image, huh?" she asked, still laughing.

"But he's so…" Bella shuddered.

"Tell me I'm wrong."

"Umm, you haven't _seen_ anything, have you?" Bella's nose scrunched at the disturbing thought.

"Oh, hell no." This time it was Alice's turn to shudder.

"Speaking of _seeing_ things, anything new?" Edward asked. The mood in the car sobered, and Bella spared a glance in his direction, watching as his eyes darted between the road and what she assumed was Alice's image in the rear view mirror.

"Nothing concrete, just more of the same," she answered. A few days prior, Alice had run into the house with the news that she'd had a vision of Felix and Demetri packing up their things and leaving. It was unclear as to when this would happen, or the circumstances leading to their departure, but the group was cautiously optimistic.

"We'll just wait and see how it plays out," Jasper said, patting Alice on the knee in reassurance. "They're probably going to head back and regroup since nothing has worked in their favor yet. At the very least, it'll buy us some time."

The four continued to chat until they pulled up in front of a large home—roughly the same size as their own, and just as well protected given the security measures in place at the front gate.

Edward pulled the car to a stop in the circular driveway, and the crunch of tires on gravel let them know that Emmett and Rosalie were right behind them.

Doors opened, but Bella hesitated. She turned when she felt a hand on top of her own, squeezing.

"They won't bite," Edward teased before letting go and getting out of the car.

She took a deep breath and stepped out, taking a moment to look around her. The front door opened to reveal who Bella assumed must've been Edward and Alice's parents. She, with perfectly styled, wavy caramel hair, and he with his combed back blond, stood perfectly framed by a deep, red door as if posing for an interior design magazine. They descended the stairs together, and Bella hovered in the background as they greeted everyone, and swallowed past the lump in her throat when they finally turned their attention to her.

Her eyes darted from person to person, waiting for somebody to step in to take the attention off of her, but it never happened. Instead, the group parted as if perfectly choreographed, allowing Alice and Edward's parents to advance.

She was immediately engulfed in the kind of hug only a mother could give—one that made you feel safe, loved, and protected. "And you must be Bella. I can't tell you how happy we are to finally meet you. We've heard so much about you."

Bella wasn't used to such displays of affection, especially from a virtual stranger, so her attempt to be polite was awkward as she stumbled over her words. "Thanks for inviting me, Mrs.—"

"Pssh, none of that. Esme and Carlisle," she interrupted with a wave of her hand.

Carlisle stepped forward, though Esme still hadn't let go. "We aren't much for formalities around here," he said with a laugh. He offered his own small hug, hindered by the fact that Esme kept one arm around Bella's shoulders as she guided her past the others and into the house.

"Oh, I need to get my bags," Bella said as an afterthought, but Esme waved her off once again.

"Someone else will get your things. No worries."

Bella was immediately led on a tour of the house, and was only moderately surprised to see her luggage already in the room that Esme indicated would be hers for the next several days.

As they moved about the house, she could hear the sounds of the others in various rooms, but didn't see any of them until Alice joined them when they returned to the main floor.

"I'll take over from here, Mom," she said.

Esme hedged for a moment, then conceded. "Well, I really should get dinner in the oven…"

"Go," Alice said, making a shooing motion. "I've got this."

As soon as Esme left the room, Alice turned to Bella and wiggled her eyebrows conspiratorially. "Ready to see the basement?"

"What's in the basement?" she asked.

"Come on," Alice said with a small jerk of her head to indicate that Bella should follow.

The downstairs had a very industrial feel to it, making Bella wonder what was hidden there that Alice wanted to show her. She glanced around at the nondescript walls as Alice stopped at a large, heavy door and entered a code in the pad on the wall, then held her thumb to the scanner beside it.

"We thought about retinal scanners, but decided that was probably overkill."

Bella laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the statement combined with the casual way Alice said it.

The telltale click of the locks disengaging startled Bella, but Alice didn't give her time to worry, instead taking her by the hand and pulling her inside.

Bella wasn't sure what she had expected, but a high tech lab wasn't anywhere on her list of possibilities. Everywhere she looked there were computers, test tubes, beakers, and cases upon cases of things she didn't recognize or hadn't seen since her high school chemistry class. She walked quietly around the room, afraid to touch anything.

"What is this place?" she asked in awe.

Alice hopped up on a stool and watched Bella acquaint herself with the room. "I can't remember if we ever mentioned it, but my dad's a geneticist. He's really good at what he does with his formal research, but given how secretive we all are about our gifts, he's the only one who has done any successful research on us. He's extremely limited in what he can do, though. It's not like he can assemble a team, so he has to work on it alone in his spare time. Plus, with the Volturi… well, we don't exactly want them to get their hands on anything they can use to their advantage."

Bella nodded, and when the echo of the locks disengaging sounded in the room, she jumped again. Seconds later, Rosalie walked through the door and smiled awkwardly in greeting. She didn't say anything as she took a seat next to Alice.

Silence lingered for a few more seconds before Bella picked up the conversation where they had left off. "So what kind of testing does he do? I mean, has he figured out why we're…" Her words trailed off.

"He'll be here any second—" Alice was interrupted by the locks disengaging for a third time. And just as she'd predicted, Carlisle stepped into the room. Alice motioned in his direction. "There ya go, ask him. He can answer better than I can."

"Ask me what?"

There was nothing intimidating about his tone of voice, but Bella couldn't help but get a little panicky, afraid that it would seem too forward or impolite to start questioning him about his high security work less than an hour after meeting him.

Alice giggled at her flustered friend, which didn't help Bella at all, and spoke up. "I told her what you do and she wondered if you'd figured us out yet… but she's apparently too nervous to ask you."

Carlisle grinned in amusement, and Bella rushed to explain herself. "I'm not… it's just… sorry, I didn't know if it was inappropriate, if it's something I should even be asking. You probably don't talk to just anybody about it."

She blushed when he chuckled as he took a seat, making her the only person standing. Without anything nearby, she settled for leaning her hip against the counter beside her and crossing her arms for lack of anything else to do with them.

"Don't worry about it," he said, his casual demeanor assuring her that she hadn't said anything out of line. "You're right, it isn't something that is discussed with just anybody. This information in the wrong hands could be devastating. The fact that Alice brought you down here is very telling. Even people she 'mostly' trusts never make it this far."

"I have good instincts," Alice said with a shrug.

"That you do." He laughed and turned back to Bella. "Well, obviously I have a very small pool of five samples to draw from for my research. Anything more widespread would bring even more attention to what I'm doing here."

"More attention?" Bella asked, curious about his choice of words.

"Yes, the Volturi are very interested in this line of research, and have been trying for years to recruit me… even before Alice and Edward were born. I started out on a much smaller scale while still in college, using the university labs late at night. Over the years I've been able to pinpoint a couple anomalies in the DNA, but with only a handful of subjects it's difficult to say whether I'm on the right track yet."

He passively motioned to Alice and Rosalie before continuing, indicating their roles as his test subjects. "The Volturi have a much grander vision for this type of research. Essentially, they'd like to be able to genetically engineer powers in utero. I suppose if there are researchers working on the ability to select eye or hair color, the Volturi aren't too presumptuous thinking that they can make this a reality."

"That's…" Bella paused before settling on the simplest yet most accurate word. "Scary."

Carlisle nodded. "Indeed. But that's not really what I'm trying to do here. It started out as plain old curiosity at how these things develop in the first place, but the last few years—thanks to Alice and Jasper, and then Rosalie and Emmett—I've been focusing on the bond between couples, what causes that link, that connection. It's a fascinating phenomenon."

Bella wracked her brain, trying to figure out what he was talking about and came up with nothing. "What… what phenomenon?"

"The one between—" Carlisle stopped when he noticed Alice's guilty expression. "I'm sorry, I assumed you knew."

"Knew what?" Bella's question wasn't directed to any specific person.

Alice fidgeted in her seat, shooting a glare at Rosalie when she snickered. "Um, yeah, I guess we never really got around to talking about that, huh?"

"Oh, well then," Carlisle hedged as he gathered a few things and headed toward the door. "Probably not a conversation you want to have with me hanging around. I'll just… Yeah, I think I'll just disappear while you girls talk."

As soon as the door clicked shut, Bella turned to Alice and waited in silence.

"So, did you know that Jasper and I can sorta share powers?" she asked, steadying her voice to sound as casual as possible.

Bella didn't respond. She had expected Alice to continue, but it was Rosalie who spoke up. "Christ, just spit it out. It's not that big of a deal. Look," she said, turning to Bella and letting Alice off the hook. "When two people like us fall in love, it creates this instant connection. I don't know if I'd call it 'sharing' powers, but we're able to kind of mesh our powers without thinking about it. We just _know_. So, like, I can project myself to find something Emmett has seen even if he hasn't specifically told me. Or I'll stumble upon something that triggers one of Emmett's flashes."

Bella's mouth opened and closed a few times, but she couldn't find words.

Alice, however, was finally able to speak. "Yeah, Jasper and I can do the same thing. If my visions show a preferable outcome, he just _knows_ what mood he has to force. Or if my visions don't show anything yet, he can consider all the options to generate different possibilities until we settle on the best one. All without speaking to each other."

Bella was having a tough time wrapping her head around the concept. "So you just… know?" she said, repeating both girls' earlier words. "Does this happen a lot? I mean, are there are a lot of couples like that?"

"Not ' _a lot'_ a lot," Alice said. "It used to be really rare. Neither of my grandmothers knew anybody that was paired up, they'd only heard second or third hand stories. I think the world's a lot smaller with our generation, though. Between the Internet and the ease of travel, we're all more closely connected than they were back then, so it's easier to meet other people like ourselves."

"Do you just meet someone and—" Bella snapped her fingers "—that's it? Instant connection?"

"No, nothing like that," Rosalie said. "It happens the moment two people recognize that they love each other. But it has to be both—it never works if it's one sided. So one person might feel it, but the bond won't form until the other feels it, too. They don't even have to say the words to each other—just acknowledging it to themselves will activate that link between powers."

"Really takes the pressure off," Alice joked. "I mean, you start doing freakish things with someone else's powers, it kind of takes all the uncertainty of 'does he or doesn't he' out of the equation."

The three girls laughed, though Bella's was forced. Her mind was racing with the new information.

"Did you know I was there right after Emmett's accident?" Rosalie's softened voice surprised Bella as much as her words.

"No."

She nodded. "I was, but I had to watch from a distance. There were too many people for my projection to move closer without giving us all away, as tempting as it may have been. That's another part of it, and that was the first time any of us really experienced it. You don't know _what's_ wrong, just that something _is_ wrong. I could feel it at the moment of impact." She clutched at the fabric of her shirt over her heart for emphasis.

"That had to be terrifying," Bella said as she tried to imagine herself in that situation.

"Very. But it would've been invaluable had you guys not been right behind him. I would've been able to get help to him if he had been alone."

"The Volturi hate it," Alice said.

"Really?" Bella asked as she tried to figure out why. "It sounds like it makes your powers even stronger. You'd think they'd be all about that."

"Yeah, but only once you're already aligned with them," Alice said. "Our loyalties to each other are much stronger than to anybody else, so they have to work even harder to recruit a bonded couple. It's much easier when one or both are already on their side."

"It's why they went to such efforts to get to you." Rosalie's attention was drawn to her nails in a failed attempt at nonchalance. Judging by the way her eyes occasionally darted to Bella, and the way Alice fumbled for words, Bella knew it was a loaded statement.

"They thought…?" She couldn't finish the statement, not wanting to think about what—who—Rosalie was insinuating.

"They don't like to take chances," Alice interrupted. "They didn't necessarily think or know… they just prefer to step in before _any_ kind of alliance is made."

She shot a glare in Rosalie's direction, urging her friend to backtrack. Instead, Rosalie opted to debate with Alice. "Well, obviously their priority was for her never to meet us at all. They knew we'd make their job that much harder after we spilled their secrets to her. But you can't deny there's a pretty strong chance that they were afraid of this possibility, too. I mean, could you imagine three bonded couples? It'd be a nightmare for them. They were probably doing backflips when they realized how much she and Edward hated each other."

Rosalie laughed, no longer bothering with subtlety, while Alice held her head in her hands, shaking it back and forth. Bella, however, attempted to mask the emotions threatening to play across her face as her imagination ran wild. Her heart raced in her chest due to her conflicting feelings.

Rosalie and Alice continued to talk after Alice hastily changed the subject, allowing Bella to be only a passive participant. All too soon, the three headed back upstairs.

Bella still didn't have a handle on her feelings, and as was her luck, the first person she encountered was Edward.

"Did you survive the mad scientist's lab?" he teased.

It took her a moment to respond. His crooked smile and the crinkles at the corner of his eyes, coupled with the recent conversation, distracted her. She wondered if he knew the others had considered that the two of them would be drawn to each other—of course he knew, she corrected herself—and she wondered what his opinion about it was. Was it all simply a passing thought brushed off as an unlikely possibility, or was there more that they weren't telling her?

She tore her eyes from his and looked anywhere but at him. "Yeah, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting… not that I was expecting anything in particular." His hand on her arm halted her rambling.

"Hey, you okay?"

She looked up long enough to see the sincerity on his face and offer a forced smile. "Yeah, fine. Of course. I'm just going to grab something to drink. Kitchen's this way, right?" She pointed down the hall and took a few awkward steps away.

"Yeah, right through that door." His brow furrowed, and before she could turn away, she noticed Alice standing off to the side as the two siblings shared a look—one Bella had learned signified silent conversation. She darted into the kitchen before her suspicions about the topic could be confirmed.

"We didn't scare you off, did we?"

Bella jumped at the sound of Esme's voice moments later. She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that the room wasn't empty.

She laughed—at herself as much as Esme's teasing. "No, not at all. Out of everything that's been thrown at me these past couple months, a high-tech lab in somebody's basement is kind of at the bottom of the list of strange occurrences."

"I bet," she responded, pausing to regard Bella. "I just can't imagine what that's been like. We've all known this our whole lives. But walking into it blind? It must've been rather… unsettling, for lack of a better word."

"It's getting better." She took a step toward the refrigerator and motioned to it. "Do you mind if I…?"

"Of course not, help yourself, dear."

Bella could feel Esme's eyes on her as she searched for, found, and uncapped a bottle of water. She drank slowly as she tried to think of something to say, but fortunately Esme was a better conversationalist than she was.

"I have to say, I've been absolutely fascinated by the stories about what you can do. Especially that whole blocking thing. That must've driven Edward up a wall."

The hint of mischief in her voice let Bella know that Esme had no clue how difficult those early days had been. Rather than get into just how affected he had been, she simply smiled and said, "Yeah."

"He tries his best to give people their privacy, but if there's something he wants to know, he almost feels entitled to it since thoughts have always been accessible to him. It's good for him to have a challenge, to see how the rest of us live."

The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation, and Bella stiffened. She'd been wary since Alice told her that a family friend who had once been aligned with the Volturi would be making an appearance. Though everyone insisted he could be trusted, she couldn't seem to get past the idea that he had once worked for the Volturi. He had made plans to visit with the intention of delivering more information and evidence for the group to add to the rest of what they'd collected, but Alice confirmed that he was more than a little interested in Bella and her powers.

Esme hooked Bella's arm with her own and led her to the living room where everyone else had congregated.

"Oh my, you weren't kidding, were you? Very interesting, indeed. Like nothing I've experienced before."

Bella's eyes zeroed in on the unfamiliar man studying her. He was much older than she'd been expecting, having assumed he'd be closer to Esme and Carlisle's age, with an olive tone to his skin, and what looked to be an average build beneath the layers of winter clothes and heavy coat. His face was warm and friendly, though not enough to put her at ease as she still found it difficult to maintain eye contact with someone who looked at her like a science experiment rather than a person.

Awkward introductions were made before Eleazar apologized for his rudeness. "Please forgive me. I got ahead of myself there. I've been so curious since I heard about you, but I guess I wasn't quite prepared. I'm so used to getting a clear read on a person." He shook his head, chuckling.

"You block him, too." Edward's voice was quiet, but since she hadn't realized that he'd moved to stand beside her, it was as if he'd yelled.

"Yes," Eleazar said. "It's such an odd feeling. I can tell that something's there, but have no clue what it is. It's rather disorienting. I understand this is something you can disengage? Would you mind?"

She hesitated, the idea of not shielding herself making her feel vulnerable. She finally relented when Edward leaned in again to say, "It's okay, he doesn't need very long."

Almost immediately upon opening herself up, Eleazar laughed loudly and clapped his hands together once. "Amazing. Yes, yes, definitely psychokinetic. I shouldn't have doubted."

Bella stood quietly, feeling removed from the situation while the others began talking over each other, sharing stories about the things they'd seen in her short time with them.

"Why don't we all have a seat?" Esme interrupted.

Carlisle put a hand on Eleazar's shoulder and the two men led the way. "Yes, I know you have to leave in the morning, so we probably shouldn't waste any time."

"Now, Bella," Eleazar said as he patted the space next to him on the loveseat. "I've been told you have no family history, that you're the first."

"As far as I know."

He regarded her with interest for a moment. "No matter. And I do apologize if my attention is making you uncomfortable. You're the first psychokinetic I've heard of in many years. There was one when I was quite young, still a child, but he was already rather old at that point and passed away shortly after I had met him. I don't believe he had any children though, so there probably isn't any relation."

He seemed to have been talking to himself more than anything else, so Bella didn't respond. Not that he had given her much of a chance. He immediately pulled a large briefcase closer and opened it, laying files and photo albums out on the coffee table.

"This is everything I have that concerns the Volturi. Hopefully you kids will find something of use in here. This is long overdue."

Everybody, including Esme and Carlisle, reached to the table for whatever was closest and began going through the information. Eleazar turned to Bella, engaging her in conversation while the others busied themselves looking for anything that might prove useful.

"So, I'm sure you have some questions."

Her eyes darted around the room at the others, and he laughed as he patted her hand in reassurance. "It's okay. After everything you've heard and experienced, it's only natural you'd be wary of someone who once considered himself one of _them_."

"Yeah," she said, trying to smile.

"You see, when I first started working for the Volturi, I—and many others—had no idea what their actual plans were. At the time, they were involved in smaller crimes, but many of us were deliberately kept in the dark since they knew we wouldn't approve and would choose to disassociate ourselves. Our understanding was that we were banding together to keep people like ourselves from being exploited. There were a handful of individuals threatening to give us away, too caught up in the hysteria of the time and using their powers to break into and burn down the draft offices."

"Wow, so this goes back to Vietnam?" Bella asked.

"We'd been tossing the idea around for many years, but, yes, the events surrounding the war pushed us to finally act. The need to act swiftly, I fear, distracted us from all the clues that Aro, Marcus, and Caius had other ideas. It took a few years to realize that they were setting up an unofficial government, giving the illusion that they had some sort of power over everybody in our little community so that they could gain actual political power and wealth."

He sighed and looked off into space as Bella patiently waited. "Unfortunately, they'd amassed too many associates for us to negate everything that had already been put in motion once we understood. It was a bit of a fight, but they did allow those of us who disagreed to leave. It wasn't without compromise, and as you can see from those pictures, the threats hanging over my and my family's heads keep me connected to them on an 'on call' basis."

Bella looked at some of the loose photographs that had been placed back on the table to see Eleazar at various functions with the men who she now recognized as the leaders of the Volturi.

"What do you do for them?"

"They very rarely call for my help, but as you already know, I can sense other peoples' powers. So, occasionally, when they're unsure of what they're dealing with, they'll call me in to read a person they're attempting to recruit. I'm actually a little surprised they didn't call for my help with you, but I'd imagine my friendship with the Cullens kept that option off of the table."

Bella nodded, agreeing with him. Though they failed at making first contact, they'd gone to great efforts to make sure she was kept a secret until they could find her.

"That shield of yours," he said, and Bella turned to look at him once more. "That shield, it's quite a handy gift. I appreciate you giving me that little peek. Do you have to make a conscious effort to maintain it?"

Bella shook her head. "No, it's always there. I never even knew it existed until a couple months ago. I have to really concentrate to lower it."

"Good, good. Until this all blows over, be very careful about going unguarded—especially if you have even the slightest inkling that anyone from the Volturi are near."

"That's the plan," Bella said with a laugh.

The more she and Eleazar talked, the easier it was to let go of her apprehension. He seemed sincere, and that, coupled with the fact that the Cullens clearly trusted him, comforted her. Conversation shifted from his history with the Volturi to reminiscing about old times and old friends. Eleazar had known both Carlisle and Esme's mothers, giving them much to talk about.

Bella listened as she examined the information, spending much of her time studying the photographs. By the time everybody wandered off to bed, she was exhausted and certain it would take little effort to fall into a dreamless sleep.

She was right, though it didn't last nearly as long as she'd hoped. She groaned when she rolled over to find that it was just after four in the morning. Trying to force herself to go back to sleep didn't help. The little bit of rest was all her brain needed in order to start processing the previous day. For some reason, her mind kept wandering back to the pictures, but she couldn't begin to understand why. After tossing and turning for another ten minutes, she decided to sneak downstairs for one last peek to see if she could put her mind to rest.

She tiptoed through the hall, careful not to wake anybody, and was startled to find that she wasn't the only person with the same problem.

The small table lamp didn't tip her off; it was the sound of Edward's voice that surprised her. "Can't sleep either?"

"My mind wouldn't turn off," she said, keeping her voice low since she was unsure whether sound carried easily through this house.

"Same here. I've been down here for an hour looking through these pictures. It's like I know something's here if I could just _see_ it."

A quiet laugh escaped her as she sat on the floor next to him and started rifling through a pile of photographs. "Yeah, that's exactly what I kept thinking, too."

They worked side by side, talking as they searched for clues.

"You doing okay? We didn't overwhelm you, did we?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I mean, I guess I am. There was a lot to take in yesterday. I haven't had that much thrown at me at one time since Alice crashed into my life."

He laughed, and she could feel his eyes on her. "Let us know if you ever need to slow down. Too much at once is just as bad as not enough."

She worked up the courage to look over at him and couldn't help thinking about Rosalie's implications in the lab. "I will," she said as she looked back down at the picture in her hand.

They were quiet for a while until Edward held a photo for her to see. "Does anything look off about this one? I keep coming back to it…"

She looked down at the image and examined it for a while, all too aware that as she studied the picture, Edward was studying her. She tried to focus her attention, but the shot of Eleazar with Aro in what looked to be an office with stone walls didn't immediately strike her as odd.

After a few minutes, she stopped looking at the men and paid more attention to the background. "The painting. Something about the painting stands out. I don't know why, though."

He grinned at her. "Yeah, that's what caught my attention, too. I want to think I've seen it somewhere else."

He leaned in to take another look, and Bella tried to ignore just how close his face would be to hers if she'd just turn her head a little to the right.

Taking a deep breath, then wishing she hadn't when she was assaulted by the smell of him, she tried to recall an old art history class she had taken during her undergrad. The pieces were slow to fit together, but her professor had been quite the conspiracy theorist, and lectures would often deviate from the topic at hand to one art heist or another. Suddenly, she remembered where she'd seen the painting before. Though she couldn't recall its history, she distinctly remembered the few times her professor had fired up the projector to show the class this same ship rocking on a stormy sea.

"What do you know about art heists?" she asked, and made the mistake of looking at him.

They were so close that his eyes had to dart from one of hers to the other, and after a moment of thought, a small grin pulled at one side of his mouth.

"Not enough, but I'm sure we can find it."

He hopped up to grab a laptop and quickly found an Internet connection. After Googling 'famous art heists', he clicked the first link and scrolled down the Wikipedia page, not wasting time with text.

"Keep going, keep going," Bella urged, as she too waited to for new images to appear. After skipping a long list of thefts, they finally made it to the gallery. Edward stopped clicking the moment he saw it.

There on the screen was the very same painting from the picture that Bella was still holding in her shaky hand: Rembrandt's _The Storm on the Sea of Galilee_.

Without wasting any time, Edward clicked on the hyperlinked picture and scanned the text. "The Gardner Museum," he breathed out.

Yet another search gifted them with a number of links on the unsolved case. Bella had grabbed a scrap sheet of paper and began taking notes as Edward read off interesting bits of information. After she'd filled a page, she grabbed another laptop so that she and Edward could cross check everything with the information the group had gathered on the Volturi to see if they had enough evidence to implicate them.

By the time the others began trickling downstairs, she and Edward had managed to find travel records that placed three Volturi associates in Boston during the weeks surrounding the theft. Food was nearly forgotten in the excitement as they relayed the information they'd uncovered.

Emmett, of course, began flashing on the details of the heist. "Twenty years ago… about 1:30 in the morning… two men dressed as cops duped two security guards… tied them up and had the whole museum to themselves. The only security system was a panic alarm that was never tripped and a motion detector. Paintings were cut from the frames."

"Yeah," Bella said. "The articles we found said they used sharp box cutters or something similar, leaving the frames behind."

"It would've been so easy for them," Eleazar said. "Who did you find was in the area?"

"Herschel Windom," Edward said, looking down at the notes Bella had scribbled.

"Technopathy," Eleazar said in awe. "He can manipulate electronics. The fact that they had so little security would've made his job even easier. I'd be willing to bet that the readings from the motion detectors are all wrong. I've seen him in action, though it was with security cameras. It isn't just shutting the systems down—though he can certainly do that too—he can freeze an image, or loop a small section of video, but keep the timestamp moving so that nothing comes up when the footage is reviewed. Creating a false trail on motion detectors would've been child's play."

"Lee Becker."

"Telekinetic," Eleazar confirmed. "Was quite talented, obviously, but passed away a few years ago. Probably why they're so intent on you, Bella. I don't believe they have another in their ranks at this time. I'd imagine he was able to remove the paintings rather quickly without leaving fingerprints behind."

"And Izzy Wilharm," Edward said with a tone of finality as he finished his list.

Eleazar shook his head. "So simple for them. She's a memory manipulator. Convenient that the security guards only recall two thieves, huh? And I'm sure the physical descriptions relayed to authorities don't match any of those involved."

"Memory manipulator? Is that like mind control?" Bella asked.

Eleazar shook his head. "It's related, but not the same. With mind control, you could force someone to act against their will. Memory manipulation, on the other hand, would make a person believe that they had acted. The Volturi actually prefer the latter. That way, they can have their own people involved in various crimes—they are professionals by this point, after all, and can execute a crime almost flawlessly—and then alter a random person's memory, letting him or her take the fall for them. There are countless innocents behind bars that still believe they've stolen, murdered, and who knows what else."

"These people are sick." Bella's nose scrunched up. With each new piece of information, it seemed like this group continued to get more and more evil. Every time she thought it couldn't get worse, another story would overshadow the last.

Eleazar left just after breakfast, and the next couple days were spent trying to balance the need to sort through the information he left behind and taking the opportunity to just be normal for the holiday weekend. Thanksgiving morning found Bella making calls to both her mother and father, filling the conversation with well wishes, apologies for not spending the day with either of them, and catching them up with the more mundane details of her life.

She was caught by surprise when she turned around after ending the call to her mother to see Carlisle standing in the doorway. She brought a hand to her chest, then laughed at herself.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you or listen in on your conversation, but I have to ask…" He paused for a moment as he walked over to sit next to her. "Your parents have no idea what's going on, correct?"

Bella shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the fact that she couldn't get a read on his mood in the way he presented his question. She didn't know if he was curious or disappointed, and dropped her head when she quietly answered, "No, they don't."

"Do you plan on telling them?"

Again, she had no idea what he was thinking.

"I do. I just don't know how." She twisted her fingers together in her lap, dropping her gaze down to avoid Carlisle's. "This is all so big, they need to know. But I'm afraid of what their reaction will be. And how do I even bring it up? 'Hey Mom, Dad, wanna see this really cool trick I can do? Oh, by the way, there are these psycho criminals in Italy that are trying to figure out how to convince me that I should work for them.'"

Her hands stilled and her head popped up when she heard Carlisle laugh.

"Well, I'm not sure I'd put it quite like that…"

"Too bold?" She grinned and laughed.

Carlisle chuckled again. "You might want to ease them into it a little slower. Anyway, the reason I bring it up is because Esme and I discussed it and—if it's okay with you—we'd like to be there when you do tell them. This world is new enough to you, but even more so to them, so we'd like to be able to offer support to you _and_ them since we have more experience and a unique perspective in all of this."

"I'd really appreciate it if you could be there. If you're sure you don't mind…"

"Then we'll be there. If we'd minded, we wouldn't have offered." He smiled and stood up. "Now, I think dinner's about ready, so how about we head in that direction."

Dinner stretched for hours as everybody laughed and talked, picking at bites long after they'd announced they were stuffed. They hung around the table long enough to find room for dessert, then waddled their way to the living room where they stretched out and wasted the rest of the evening watching Christmas specials and talking even more.

Bella had only been asleep a few hours when she heard bedroom doors opening and closing, quiet conversations, and tiptoeing down the hall. Her eyes cracked open just long enough to look outside where the minimal amount of light provided by the moon was enough to assure her that she had made the right decision when she passed on Black Friday shopping. The rev of the engine outside was the last thing she heard before drifting back to sleep, appreciating her nice warm bed all that much more.

It was nearly lunchtime when Alice, Rosalie, and Esme returned, loaded down with bags and looking a little on the rough side. Bella listened as they collaboratively recalled their day—everything from maneuvering through the crowds to the deals they'd found—and then told them about her own productive morning. After a casual breakfast with the guys where everybody came and went at different times, she had barricaded herself in the guest room with her laptop and notes where she managed to finish one final paper and get halfway through another.

Bella laughed and called out, "Goodnight!" as the others headed upstairs to catch up on lost sleep and debated what to do with her afternoon. At first she joined the guys where they were playing video games. She laughed at their competitive nature and constant trash talking—even Carlisle was handing out insults—but after begging off suggestions that she give it a shot, she found herself wandering around.

Just like the other house, this one had large windows overlooking an expansive back yard that bordered the woods. It wasn't until she moved closer to the glass wall that she saw a small room set off to the side that she hadn't seen on her tour on Monday when they'd arrived. A black, baby grand piano was tucked away, hidden from view, the lid propped open. She stepped up to the keys, unable to stop herself from reaching out. Her fingers trailed over them, not exerting enough pressure to force a sound.

"Do you play?"

Bella gasped, her hand instinctively covering her racing heart, and moments later began to laugh. "Jesus, you scared me. I didn't know you were there."

He laughed with her and moved a little closer. "So do you?"

She looked back at the keys with a small smile on her face. "No, not really. My mom made me take lessons for a few months when I was a kid, but I didn't stick with it long enough to even get through the basics. But hey, if you're ever in the mood to hear 'Mary Had a Little Lamb,' I'm your girl."

He chuckled and walked past her to sit down, his fingers finding the keys and running through a few notes. "Sit. Play."

"How about sit and watch?" she compromised.

She sat as close to the edge of the bench as she could, keeping as much space as possible between them, though that was admittedly still very little. He started to play, and with a nod of his head, urged her to mimic. She shook her head no, and he repeated the melody. Again she shook her head no, and he rolled his eyes. He reached over and placed her hands on the keys, then played the notes again. She laughed quietly before finally parroting his movements. Within minutes, they were both laughing too hard to create anything that could even remotely be described as music.

And though she tried, Bella remembered why she didn't last long in piano lessons. Even when she made an effort, she misjudged the distance between keys, unintentionally hitting two at once or the wrong ones entirely, making horrible noises erupt from the instrument, sending Edward into hysterics.

"I've never met anyone who could mess up 'Chopsticks' before," he said through his laughter.

Refusing to look at him, she lifted a fist to his shoulder and he leaned to the side, allowing himself to be pushed. The laughs faded, the silence seeming much sharper after the cacophony of noise they'd just produced. Feeling his eyes on her, she glanced at him. The furrow of his brow, the way his eyes scanned her face, the tightened line of his lips were all signs that he was thinking hard and she grew self-conscious.

"What?" she asked quietly, barely above a whisper. She could've sworn he had started to lean in before he stopped himself.

It took a moment for him to respond, for his features to smooth out and for him to look away. "Nothing. Just a little déjà vu or something, I guess."

She nodded as if she understood, though she was still as confused as ever.

The quiet grew uneasy, and she racked her brain for any topic of conversation that could fill the void. Preceded by a deep breath, he was the first to speak.

"A couple years ago, a girl showed up on campus right before the start of the semester with no connection to anybody in this little world of ours. She had no family, no friends, and we knew the Volturi were watching her, so we took her in and offered our protection. She got along with everybody—had some sort of shared interest with each of us—so we all considered her a pretty good friend almost immediately."

Bella was afraid to breathe. She knew he was finally confessing what had made him so hateful toward her in the beginning, and she feared that any reminder that she was there, listening and waiting, would cause him to shut down.

"Toward the end of the semester, I was at home alone when she showed up at the house after class. Everything seemed all right at first, nothing out of the ordinary. She, uh, tried to kiss me, and when I stopped her, she seemed embarrassed. She just wanted to forget it happened, didn't want to talk about it. I figured things would be awkward for a while, but otherwise okay."

He paused again, and Bella followed his gaze down to the shaky hands resting on his thighs. She reached her own hesitant hand out, stopping and drawing back twice before committing herself to laying it upon his in comfort. He surprised her by flipping his over to meet hers palm to palm, lacing their fingers together and squeezing a few times as if testing before continuing his story.

"Do you know what a psionic blast is?" he asked, finally looking at her. She shook her head. "That was her power, Jane's power. Basically, it's this kind of white noise that fills another person's head. The effect can range from minor confusion, to unconsciousness… or, as I learned that day, an excruciating pain that can't ever really be described. It affects your entire body, like you're being physically tortured with fire, electricity, beatings… but it's all an illusion, it's all up here." He waved his free hand to motion to his head.

"And she—"

"She was one of them," he interrupted. Though his voice had hardened, she could still hear the vulnerability in it. "She'd been trying to figure out what would convince us to work with the Volturi willingly, and when she couldn't find an 'in' she made a move on me with the hopes that I'd fall for her and be willing to do whatever she wanted, then bring the rest of the group over with me. When she realized that wasn't going to work, she got desperate and tried to incapacitate me long enough to get me out of the house and on a plane to Italy."

"She managed to kidnap you?" The sentence sounded strange in Bella's head but she didn't have time to think of a better way to word it. After all the warnings that this was something that the Volturi had done before, she had never guessed that they had made such a brazen attempt on any of her new friends.

"No, she wasn't fast enough. She called Demetri and Felix for back up, but her split second decision to act triggered Alice's visions and they all made it home in time. The police hauled them off, but obviously they didn't stay locked up for long."

"Oh my god," Bella whispered.

He ran his index finger in random patterns over the back of her hand, which was still grasped firmly in his. His touch was light, reverent, and way too distracting.

"We moved into the new house not long after that, set up security, and holed ourselves up for two years. Then a few months ago—"

"I show up on campus with no connection to anybody in this 'world' and the Volturi after me," Bella interrupted, piecing together the similarities.

He nodded and squeezed her hand.

She began to replay all of their interactions from those early days. With the filter of this new information, his hostility made a little more sense.

"She'd been trained to hide from our abilities. She was careful not to make any decisions that would trigger Alice's visions. Her emotions, she could fake them enough that Jasper never noticed anything odd."

"And you?"

He sighed. "Always carefully controlled around me. She never let her thoughts stray toward her intentions—at least not when I was paying attention. I only ever heard her thinking about normal, mundane things. Random conversations, her classes, plans for the weekend."

"So when you couldn't hear me, you thought I was doing the same thing." It wasn't a question; Bella was beginning to understand his thought processes upon their first introduction.

He winced and nodded. "Before we even knew who you were, I'd already braced myself to stay on the defensive. I wasn't ready to trust _anybody_. But there were so many similarities in the way you just happened to show up. Then that first time you blocked me, I had been trying so hard to listen, and the harder I tried, the more you deflected it right back to me, and it almost felt like her. It wasn't exactly the same, but all of that feedback in my head… it was too similar. And if that wasn't enough, I realized I couldn't hear a thing. So unlike her, you didn't even need to make an active effort to hide your thoughts. There was no chance of you slipping."

It had hurt enough at the time. His anger had sliced through her each time she was the focus. It surprised her how with the shift in their relationship, reliving those days managed to hurt even worse. When she felt her chest begin to tighten, she took measured breaths to maintain her composure.

"If I had just been wary, cautious, and left it at that…" he trailed off and looked around the room. "I had so much time to think about how I could've done things differently with Jane. I would've brought up the Volturi and the things they've done or planned to do out of the blue to catch her off-guard to see if she her thoughts would reveal her true purpose before she could catch herself. I told myself that _this time_ , that was exactly what I'd do. But you took that option away from me, and I know now it wasn't intentional or devious, but at the time I told myself I'd do the next best thing."

She could see the apology in his eyes when he finally looked over at her. "I decided to push you, to rattle you so that if you were working for them, you'd crack and give yourself away somehow. I justified my behavior, telling myself that it was an understandable trade-off to make sure that we were safe, that history wasn't repeating itself. But I think back to how I behaved and I'm just… appalled. You deserved none of it. I don't even understand how you're still here, but I'm so glad you didn't let my actions run you off."

She felt a tickle on her cheek, not realizing she was crying until she brushed at the spot and felt the wetness. As happy as she was that she was finally getting answers, she couldn't help but be angry and upset. Each attack had been deliberate and premeditated, designed to chip away at secrets that didn't exist. She was angry at him for condemning her for someone else's crimes. She was angry at Jane for creating the situation in the first place. And a little part of her was proud of herself for managing to stand her ground while suffering from a serious lack of information and the chaos of having her entire life turned upside down.

She tried to pull her hand away, but he held tighter and reached his free hand over to help her wipe at the falling tears.

"I couldn't figure out what I did to make you hate me so much."

She sniffled and wiped at the never-ending parade of tears that trailed down her cheeks. If he was going to be honest, so was she. He already felt guilty, she could see that clearly, but part of her thought that he had to know what he really did to her. He needed to understand exactly what he was apologizing for, how much he had affected her. She knew that telling him what she went through was a risk; if he ever decided to turn on her again, he'd know exactly how to push to hurt her.

"I was in the middle of this personal and emotional upheaval. Every day I had to hear about how much danger I was in. There was so much I didn't know, but I was too afraid to ask because I had no idea what the next thing to set you off would be. I tried so hard to act like it didn't bother me, but I was terrified. I'd listen to all of these horror stories about what was waiting for me outside, and my only sanctuary was a house where I had to walk on eggshells trying to avoid the next fight. Quite a few times I wondered which option was actually worse."

Her tears came harder, and she hadn't realized he'd moved until his arms were wrapped around her as she sobbed into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. Bella, I'm so sorry," he whispered over and over. She cried freely, finally releasing months of pent up emotions, as he continued to apologize, his hold so tight it was difficult to breathe.

When her tears finally dried, they didn't move. She allowed the feel of his hand rubbing her back soothe her as she stared unseeing at an arbitrary point on the floor.

She pulled back slightly when she felt him move. His eyes roamed her face and she was sure she looked like a mess. When his eyes found hers, her heart began pounding in her chest. He tipped forward and closed his eyes the moment his forehead rested against hers. She counted breaths—his, hers, she couldn't tell—and he began whispering again. Slowly, so slowly, he started moving again until his apologies were whispered against her lips.

"Forgive me?" he asked.

She granted it the only way she knew how and pressed her lips more fully against his. It took a moment, but after an obvious sigh of relief he responded and took control. One arm around her back braced her to him, while the other moved up cup her jaw, angling her head for him to deepen the kiss. She cleared her mind of everything they'd confessed, refusing to allow any part of their confessions to pollute this moment.

Her breath stuttered at the feel of his tongue against hers, and though she couldn't she sure, she thought his did too. He broke away to trail kisses down her jaw, to her ear, then to her neck, whispering the whole way; this time, it was promises that he whispered. That things would be different. Things would be better.

And by the time his mouth found hers again, she believed him.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

She felt the mattress shift and tried to suppress a smile.  Though her eyes were directed at the laptop in front of her, Bella’s attention was elsewhere.  Specifically, it was on the body sprawled out behind her attempting to get comfortable.

When he finally stilled, she tried to forget how close he was so that she could finish the project she had been working on.  She’d only had one actual exam early in the week.  The rest of her classes had required research papers instead, and with proper planning she’d finished with minimal stress.  As soon as she edited this last one and sent it off to her professor, she could relax until January.

“You’re so quiet,” Edward said from behind her.

She smiled and laughed, looking over her shoulder at him.  “I’m reading.”

“No, I mean… quiet.”  He made a motion to his head and closed his eyes, a peaceful smile on his face.  “You have no idea what that’s like for me.”

She realized how right he was.  They’d never really talked about his gift in depth, even though little, if anything, was off limits these days.  It had only been a couple weeks since that day at his parents’ house when all of the walls finally came crashing down, and they were still adjusting to the transition.  They hadn’t defined what they were to each other, though clearly they were _something_.  Each day they grew closer, both emotionally and physically, helped by the fact that the other four roommates had not-so-subtly made themselves scarce. 

She closed her laptop and pushed it away, turning around to face him fully.   He reached for her hand and pulled her down next to him, threading his fingers through her hair with his free hand.

“What _is_ it like?” she asked. “All those voices, all the time… I can’t even imagine.”

“You learn to block it out,” he said, shrugging.

“How so?”

He stopped to think for a moment, and she waited as he tried to find an accurate description.  “You know when you walk into a crowded room and everyone’s talking… if you want to pay attention, you can listen to pretty much any conversation.  But if you don’t, you just ignore it.  You hear the noise, but not the words.”

“Doesn’t that get to you? That it’s so constant?” Her eyes grew heavy at the attention his hand was paying to her hair, the action giving her an overwhelming feeling of contentment. 

“Why do you think we bought a house in the middle of nowhere?” He laughed, but Bella could tell it was forced.  When she didn’t laugh with him, or even crack a smile, he sobered.  “It’s unbearable at times, but it’s all I’ve ever known.  There have been more times than I could count where I just wanted to pack up and move to a place this secluded by myself.  Obviously, that hasn’t been an option the past couple years.”

“Too risky,” she whispered.

He nodded.  “It was so much better with just the other four.  Moving here, this is the quietest it’s ever been.  And occasionally I’d get the house to myself when they were all out.  I don’t think I’d ever been in complete silence before that.”

“Never?” she asked, stunned at the thought of more than two decades of constant noise.

“Never,” he repeated, and rolled on his side to face her.  “And until you, I’d never experienced silence without being totally alone.  It’s new.  I like it.”

This time she didn’t bother trying to fight a smile, and for a few moments the two stayed just as they were as they grinned at each other.  Before long, he began to close the distance, so teasingly slow that her heart raced.  Her eyes drifted closed as he neared, and she was unable to stop herself from trembling in anticipation.

The feel of his mouth was now familiar, but no less electrifying.  He was always so gentle, and at times Bella wondered if he held back because of their rough start. She wasn’t complaining, though.  Complaining would require thinking, and her brain tended to cease functioning when he was this close, letting instinct and impulse take over.

She licked her lips in preparation just a second before she felt his mouth brush against hers.  He started with soft, barely there kisses before his tongue slipped between her partially open lips then retreated.  The second time he did it, her head lifted from the mattress to follow.  The third time she wrapped a hand around his neck to hold him there, though it was unnecessary; he deepened the kiss, angling his head to seal his mouth over hers.

She shivered at the feel of his hand skimming her side, up and down, so close but not close enough.  He shifted until he hovered over her, and her body followed his silent request to lie back until she was flat on the bed.  She felt one of his legs come to rest between both of hers.  With one leg pinned to the mattress, she used the free one to hook over his, tangling them completely.

He broke away to trail kisses down her jaw to her neck, causing her to gasp at the sensation.  He nibbled his way back up, torturously slow, as her hands found the hem of his tee.  He hissed and doubled his efforts when she found the bare skin of his stomach.

The way her fingernails grazed his flesh was unintentional, but she would’ve gladly taken full credit for his reaction.   A mental note to try it again in the future was made before she pulled her hands away and placed them on the sides of his face in an effort to guide him back to her mouth.

They were both breathless, unwilling to stop, but with a groan, Edward pulled away and immediately buried his face in her neck trying to regain his composure.  Bella simply stared unseeingly up at the ceiling, blissed, but felt him turn to press soft kisses just under her ear.

“Alice and Jasper will be here in a few minutes,” he said.

“What?” He had caught her off-guard; she certainly hadn’t expected him to be thinking of _them_ through all of that.

He chuckled, kissing her one last time before pushing himself up to his knees and holding a hand out to help her sit up.  “I can hear them down at the gate.  They’ll be here soon.  She wants to talk to us but she’s hiding why.”

He stood from the bed, bringing her with him, but didn’t make a move to leave.  She would’ve felt self-conscious under his stare if she hadn’t been doing the same to him.  His smile grew, one of those wide and uncontrolled ones that you couldn’t stop if you wanted to.  The moment was so honest, so innocent, but the sound of an engine outside cut it short.

“Come on,” he said, tugging at her hand and leading her down the stairs.

They had just reached the bottom when the door opened and Alice and Jasper strolled in.  Bella couldn’t help but laugh at the annoyance prominently displayed on Edward’s face when Alice offered a nonchalant “hello” before striding past with a self-satisfied smirk.

“What is it?” he asked, following behind her.

“What’s what?” Alice asked.  She didn’t slow down as she entered the kitchen.

Edward braced his hands on the edge of the counter, quickly losing patience.  “What did you come here to say? What are you hiding?”

Bella looked over at Jasper and had to immediately look away before they both started to laugh.  But as funny as the scene before her was, she couldn’t help her own curiosity from being piqued.  Alice was putting on one hell of a show for their benefit, so she knew it had to be good, whatever it was.

“So, how was your day?” Alice asked, ignoring the question as she rummaged through the refrigerator.  “Aha!” she exclaimed, pulling out the last piece of tiramisu.

“Fine,” Edward said through gritted teeth.  “How was yours?”  He turned to glance at Bella with eyebrows raised and a nod in Alice’s direction as if asking if she planned to help.

Alice moaned at the first bite and pointed back down at the plate with her fork.  Mumbling through the mouthful she had yet to swallow, she said, “This is really fantastic tiramisu.” 

She was just about to scoop another forkful when the plate slid out of her hand.  She gasped, and instinct made her grasp at it, but the plate hovered in the air just out of reach.

“So, Alice,” Bella said, smirking.  “What’s up?”

Alice lunged for the plate, but Bella was quicker, lifting it higher so that it was suspended a foot above Alice’s fingertips.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Bella chastised.

“You are _so_ mean!”

Bella quirked an eyebrow, and everyone turned at the sound of one of the cabinets opening.  The trash can slid from its hidden compartment, and when the tiramisu hovered above it, tilting at a precarious angle, Bella could’ve sworn she heard Alice whimper.

“Okay, I’ll tell you!” Alice shouted, her hands in the air in surrender.  “Just, please,” she begged, “don’t… hurt… the tiramisu.”

“Talk,” Edward said as Bella lowered the plate to the counter.

Alice took a deep breath, and looking her brother in the eye, said, “They’re leaving.”

“More than two words, Alice,” he responded, waving a hand in a circle in front of him, motioning for her to continue.

A wide grin spread across her face.  “They’re leaving,” she repeated.  “Felix and Demetri are all packed up and sitting at a private airport just outside the city limits right now.”

Bella was stunned, her heart pounding in her chest, sure that she’d heard wrong.  “They’re really going?”

She reached for the counter just as her knees buckled.  She felt Edward grab hold of her arm, but she couldn’t look away from Alice as she nodded and closed the distance, reaching for Bella’s hands.

“Yes, they’re really going… soon.  Isn’t this exciting?”  Alice jumped up and down, still holding Bella’s hands in hers, before letting go and launching herself at her.  It took Bella a moment to respond, but quickly met Alice’s hug with equal strength. 

When Alice let her go and leapt at Edward with the same fervor, Bella didn’t move, too dazed to try. 

Edward’s hands on the side of her face snapped her out of her stupor.  She could tell he was thrilled with this information, but concerned for her.

“You okay?” he asked, unable to get rid of his smile.

“Yeah,” she said.  “It’s just… I know it isn’t over, but still… I didn’t expect a reprieve so soon.  I’m a little shocked.”

He laughed.  “I can tell.”

Before she knew it, he was hugging her, lifting her so that her feet dangled above the ground.

“You’re shaking.”  Edward’s observation made Bella laugh.  She hadn’t even realized that she’d been trembling in reaction to all of the emotions swirling through her.

He put her back onto the ground, not letting go when he turned to Alice.  “So, they’re at an airport?”

“Mmhmm,” she confirmed.  “I had the vision a little while ago and called Rosalie.  She projected over to the house they’d been staying in and confirmed that it was completely empty, they’d cleaned it out.  Emmett knew exactly which airport by my description, so she projected there next and saw them.  Just like I had seen, they were discussing everything that had happened with some of their associates while their things were being loaded onto the private jet.”

“They weren’t trading off, were they?” Edward asked.  “More guys coming in?”

“No, these were just men that had flown over with the jet to pick them up and debrief since they’ve all had minimal contact while Felix and Demetri were here… they’re planning to take advantage of the long flight to catch up on the details before they return to Italy.”

“It seems too good to be true,” Bella said.  Still holding onto her, Edward rubbed his hand up and down her arm in a comforting gesture. 

Leaning his hip against the counter, Jasper said, “It does, but this is normal for them.  They stick around for a few months to see if they can find an opening, and when they can’t, they head back and regroup.”

Bella leaned her head against Edward’s shoulder and asked, “How long ‘til they come back?”

Again, Jasper took the initiative to answer.  “It’s hard to tell.  Sometimes it’s six months, sometimes a year.  Depends on how quickly they come up with a new idea, who they decide to devote their attention to… We just have to keep an eye on things to make sure they don’t catch us by surprise.”

They spent the next twenty minutes rehashing all of the details until it finally sunk in that this was for real.  Eventually, though, everybody parted ways.  With barely more than a week until Christmas, Alice and Jasper picked up where they left off before their detour to deliver the news, and headed back to the mall to finish their shopping.  Bella managed to convince Edward to find something of his own to pass the time while she finished her last paper.  She laughed when, with much reluctance, he trudged off to tinker with a project he and Emmett had been working on.

Back in her room, it took a while for the words on the screen to come into focus; they were little more than a blur of black on white as her mind kept wandering back to the news that Felix and Demetri were gone.  Once she was able to redirect her thoughts, she lost track of time as she read through her paper, changing wording, or moving details around.

By the time she was satisfied and had fired off an email to her professor with the completed document attached, she realized she’d been holed away in her bedroom for hours.  She stood and stretched, her body aching from being hunched over the laptop, as she tried to remember if she’d heard the others returning.  The house was way too quiet for anyone but her and Edward to be home, and just as she was about to head downstairs to find him, her cell phone rang.

After a quick glance at the screen, she answered.  “Hi, Dad.”

“Hey… Bells… How’ve you been?”

Charlie never was much of a conversationalist, especially over the phone, but he sounded more awkward than usual.  “Um, good,” Bella responded, her words slow and hesitant.  “Just submitted my last paper so I’m done for the semester.”

“Great, that’s great.  I’m sure you did a great job on it.”  He was repeating himself, sending up yet another red flag that something was off, that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with whatever had compelled him to call.

“Yeah, thanks… I hope so.”  The longer the silence stretched the more nervous she felt.

“So, uh, how’s your apartment?”

His question made her stomach drop as if she was on a rollercoaster.  It was so random that it had to have a purpose, and she’d never mentioned her alternate living arrangements to him.  She could feel her palms begin to sweat and had to make a conscious effort to keep her voice from shaking when she answered.

“Oh, the apartment? It’s fine,” she answered and immediately cringed, waiting for his response.

Charlie was silent for a moment.  “Guess who I ran into at the grocery store the other day,” he said.  Bella exhaled in relief at the change of subject as Charlie continued without pausing for her answer.  “Angela Weber.  She asked how you were doing and was surprised to hear you were back in Washington.   She’s working at some daycare in Seattle and asked for your number.  Of course, I didn’t have it on me, but I did have a package in the car I was going to drop off at the post office, so she followed me out to get your address.”

Her anxiety was back in full force, dreading to find out where Charlie was going with this but having a pretty good idea.

“Imagine my surprise when I get a call from her today asking me if she had the right address, because the apartment she showed up at had dozens of take-out flyers wedged in the door, and the next door neighbor said the tenant hadn’t been seen in months.”

He knew.  She felt backed against a wall, not knowing what to say to him.  One small part of her brain was focused on trying to figure out how she’d forgotten something so obvious.  She’d had all of her mail forwarded to the house, but had never once gone back to the apartment to check on things.  She could only imagine how many flyers, ads, coupons, and notices were scattered at her door.

“Dad, I—”

“Where are you, Bella?  What the hell is going on down there?!”

Charlie had rarely raised his voice to her; she couldn’t even remember the last time, so the anger in his tone crushed her.

“Dad, I—” she repeated through sobs, and hurried to say something more before he cut her off again.  “I’ve been staying with some friends.  There were some things going on that… it was just safer for me not to be alone.  I’m staying—”

He cut her off again.  “What do you mean ‘some things were going on’? Are you in trouble?”

She wasn’t sure how to answer that.  Was she?  Perhaps the immediate threat was gone, but there was still some amount of danger.

“I’m fine,” she assured him.  “There were these… recruiters… that were trying to get me to work for them.  They were from a pretty shady organization.”

“What the hell kind of organization is so shady that you have to move out of your apartment?  There’s got to be more than that.  Who are these people?”

Bella dropped her head back and took a shaky breath, trying not to let his furious tone get to her.  “They’re no one you would’ve heard of, Dad.  They’re… I guess they’re into some pretty unethical and illegal things.  The people I’m staying with, they have a lot of experience with them—”

“What are these kids getting you involved in?” he bellowed, interrupting her.

“Nothing, Dad.  They aren’t involved.  They’re just like me.  This group has tried to recruit them for years so they have more experience dodging them.  Dad, I promise we aren’t involved in anything.”

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel better.  Did you forget that I’m a cop?  Why would you go to a bunch of kids instead of me?  I think I’m in a much better position to handle something like this.”

She didn’t know how to explain things to him without giving everything away.  He was so enraged that she couldn’t tell him the whole truth; he’d never take her seriously if she started going on and on about superpowers and political conspiracies.

All she could do was plead and get him to allow her to hold most of the details until later when she’d hopefully have Carlisle and Esme at her side.   She lowered her voice, trying to appeal to him to calm down and do the same.  “Dad, I know… and I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner.  I just didn’t know how.  These people… they have so many connections that I don’t think there’s anything you can do.   Look, I… I have so much to tell you, but I don’t want to do it over the phone.  Can you just… I don’t know, go ahead and be angry with me, but please let me explain things when I come home, when we can talk about it face to face.”

The silence felt like a year to Bella, though in reality it was only a few seconds before he sighed.  “Fine.  When you come home.  You _will_ be home for Christmas, right?”

He’d posed it as a question, but his tone of voice said it was anything but.

“Yes.”

“You said you turned in your last project, so I guess that means you’ll be home soon.  No need to wait around up there.”

“Dad, I promise I’ll be home soon.  I promise I’ll be there for Christmas.  And I promise we’ll talk about all of this when I get there.”

He didn’t respond at first, and when he did, it sounded like he was speaking to himself more than Bella.  “I should just come up there and get you myself,” he mumbled.  “I should get in the car and be there tonight to pack up your stuff if you’re being harassed by a bunch of criminals.”

“No,” Bella said a little louder than she’d intended.  “They left, Dad.  They’re gone.  A couple of my friends saw them at the airport.  They aren’t even here.  I’m _fine_.  I’ll be home soon.”

“You’re not just bullshitting me here, are you?  These guys are gone?” he asked.

“They’re gone.  My friends saw them loading their things onto a plane and their house is empty.”  A quick glance at the clock told Bella that the hours that had passed had been more than enough time, and she could assure Charlie without lying to him.

“So if they’re gone, I guess there’s no reason for you to be staying with friends.”

She knew that he was trying to trip her up, and when she spoke, she made sure there was no trepidation in her voice that would make him think she’d been lying to him that there was no immediate threat.  “No, I suppose not.  I can probably move back into my place for the new semester.”

She could hear him grumbling before he finally spoke again.  “Fine.  But if anything changes, you _will_ call me.”

His tone left no room for arguments, and a few minutes later she was clicking her phone off, staring at it in her hand as if expecting him to call right back to say he’d changed his mind and would be there in a few hours to pack her things.  She was so distracted she didn’t realize she wasn’t alone, and startled when she looked up to see Edward leaning in her doorway.

“Oh geez, you scared me,” she said, hand over her heart and laughing at herself.  She stopped when she realized he wasn’t showing even a hint of humor; instead, he looked angry.  “What’s wrong?

“Need help packing?”

She was taken aback by his words, confused.  “What?”

He shrugged.  “Seems like you’re in a hurry to leave.”

She bristled at his tone.  “Were you eavesdropping?”

“Your door was open and you weren’t exactly whispering,” he said.  “I came in to see if you were done, and couldn’t help but hear you making plans to move out and head home.  Christ, Felix and Demetri probably aren’t even halfway across the country yet—I didn’t realize you were in such a hurry to make your escape.”

A lump grew in her throat, but the anger that was building curbed the tears that wanted to fall.  She scrambled off the bed, moving towards him the moment her feet hit the floor.  “How dare you… you have no right to treat me like this because you happened to overhear one small part of one side of a conversation.  You have no idea what that was about or what my plans are.”

“Then what was it about, huh?” he asked, stepping closer to her so that they stood inches apart.  “Because it sounded to me like you told your dad what’s been going on around here after asking my parents to break it to him.”

Whether it was the rage on her face or in her voice, she didn’t know, but he backed up a step when she moved forward.  “First of all, I didn’t ask them—they offered.  So don’t stand there and act like I’ve slighted them somehow.  Second, if you’d have heard the whole conversation you’d know that I told him very little and only because my hands were tied.  He knew I hadn’t been staying in my apartment and called me on it.  I had to tell him something.”  She poked at his chest, forcing him backwards, her tone laced with condescension. “So forgive me for not consulting you first, but I had to think of something on the fly.  I’m not fortunate enough to have my whole family in on this little secret.  I’m not an expert at handling all of this shit like you are.  So you’re just going to have to deal with poor, misguided little me making mistakes and not doing things the way you want them to be done.”

“That’s not what… fuck!” he yelled, dragging his hand through his hair and tugging at it while breathing heavily through his nose.

“That’s exactly what you were saying,” Bella yelled back, arms gesturing wildly.  “You took what you wanted from a partial conversation and didn’t bother to ask me about what you heard.”

“Then what did I hear?” This time, Bella was the one walking backwards.  “It sounded pretty clear that you were packing up and moving out now that Demetri and Felix are gone.  So if I got that wrong, _please_ , tell me what your plans are.”

“I—” Her words stopped short when she realized she had no answer.  “I don’t know, okay?  I don’t know what my plans are.  I have no idea where I go from here.  I don’t even know if I have a place in this house anymore.”

“What the hell are you even talking about that you don’t have a place here?” he shouted, this time so loud that Bella jumped.

“I was offered a room until the threat was gone.  I don’t know if this is over, and I don’t know how long the invitation stands.”  Her voice hitched, each time she repeated the phrase ‘I don’t know’ made her question her situation to the point that she was on the verge of tears.

Too fast for her to register movement, his lips were on hers, forceful and demanding, marking a clear shift from anger to lust.  She barely noticed the thump of her body slamming against the wall as he pinned her.  She gripped his hair and shivered at the feel of his hands under her shirt, sliding over her ribs, around to her back, and caressing her shoulders.  He paused before following the same path down until reaching her bra, diverting off course to follow the trail laid out by the lace and cupping her breasts.

He bit at her lower lip, licking it before moving away long enough to pull her shirt over her head before returning to her mouth.  Taking his cue, her fingers blindly worked the buttons of his shirt in a desperate pursuit of skin to skin contact. He spun her around and started to walk her backwards towards the bed.

They tumbled to the mattress, and he braced himself over her, caging her in. 

“You’ve gotta stop looking for reasons to think you aren’t a part of this group,” he said, continuing their argument.

She looped one leg around him, pushing with her left hip trying to get him to roll over.  He held steady, denying her request, so she used her power to force him.  Caught off-guard, his back slammed into the mattress and it was her turn to hover above.  “You’ve gotta stop looking for reasons to vilify me.”

Instead of answering with words, his hand wrapped around the back of her neck to anchor her mouth to his, and he began to explore her body with soft, languid touches.

Her breath quickened as he found every sensitive spot on her skin, trailing a path from one explosive nerve ending to the next before stopping to brush his fingers across her stomach at the edge of her jeans.

When her only response was a shuddering breath of anticipation and not a refusal, he popped open the button, and with protracted slowness, worked the zipper down tooth by tooth. 

When she couldn’t take it any longer, she pushed herself up to her knees.  He followed automatically as if the two were attached by some invisible force, wasting no time in sliding her jeans over her hips.  She shifted, reading his nonverbal cues to allow him to remove them entirely.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding tight as lips and tongues moved in tandem.  When he urged her onto her back once more she didn’t fight, and as soon as she was settled, the two worked together to remove his jeans as well.  It gave her the opportunity to watch him… specifically watch him watch her.  And he did, constantly.  His eyes would drift closed, she could see the way he forced them open as if refusing to miss a second of this.  Her already racing heart sped at the emotions that flickered across his face—desire, clearly, but also a heady mix nervousness, fear, and need. 

The soft kisses he placed on her lips nearly brought tears to her eyes.  The sudden shift from anger to lust to tenderness left her dizzy and a little confused, but too caught up in the moment to care.  Like a slideshow, her thoughts flew through a montage of moments starting with their first less than civil encounter to now.  Even the bad moments were colored by new information, as she knew that his reactions had been exacerbated by his need to fight his attraction to her.  And the shift in their dynamic over the past couple of weeks often left her in awed disbelief.  His loving caresses and adoring gazes were unlike anything she’d experienced before.  No one had ever made her feel so significant; he treated her as if she were essential to his being.

Her reverie took only seconds though it felt like hours.  The idea of going back to her life before she stepped foot in this house was unthinkable to her.  If she thought she _seemed_ important to him, she _knew_ he was vital to her.  Their rough start, the work they had ahead of them, and the unresolved threat from the Volturi didn’t matter.  Regardless of everything, here in this moment tangled together, it finally hit her… she’d fallen in love with him.

Without thinking, she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, the action drawing them unbearably close, forcing the decision on just how far to take things.  He pushed against her and buried his face in her neck as she closed her eyes, focused on nothing but how right it felt to be so close to him as she tried to get her breathing under control.  He, too, was panting, and she could feel occasional nips to her skin. 

“Edward,” she sobbed, the need in her voice even obvious to her.

She felt his entire body tense as he pushed himself up.  When she finally got a look at his face, the expression wasn’t one she’d been expecting.  He looked horrified… regretful.  She tried not to panic, but knew it was futile.

His eyes scanned her face for a few moments before clenching shut, the picture of frustration and guilt.  “Fuck,” he whispered before pushing himself away from her to sit at the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.  Even with his back to her, she could see him fighting himself.

She scrambled to cover herself up, alternating between holding her breath and gasping for air.  Her heart pounded so forcefully that it was nearly all she could hear, all of the ambient noise muffled.

“Jesus, I’m so sorry, Bella…  Never should’ve happened… Mistake… Too far…”

Her stomach churned as she clutched the sheet tighter, closing her eyes but unable to stop the tears from leaking through.  She felt the bed shift, and when she looked at him he was gathering his clothes, quickly putting them back on.  When he finally looked at her, the apology on his face was more than she could stand so she turned away.   She tried not to count his steps as he left the room.  She tried not to track his progress.  And when she heard him shut the bathroom door down the hall and start the shower, she tried not to fall apart.

She was frozen in place, for how long she wasn’t sure, but when she finally moved, she did so with purpose.  With the sheet still wrapped around her, she grabbed her things and ran for a different bathroom.  She was barely conscious of her motions as she threw handfuls of water onto her face, pulled her hair into a ponytail, and got dressed.  She ignored the ringing house phone as she sped toward the garage, picking up only her coat, phone, and keys.

As she pulled out of the driveway, she broke down again at the realization that this was the first time in months she’d been out of the house unaccompanied.  Though she knew that Felix and Demetri were long gone by now, she was afraid of being alone so made her way to an area near campus that was always busy with foot traffic.  She gave up on the radio when the volume continued to shut off each time her phone rang, thanks to Emmett’s invention after his accident.  She didn’t look at the caller ID; she knew it had to be him, most likely realizing she was gone once he finished showering.  She didn’t want to talk about it yet.  Her self-esteem wasn’t ready to hear all the reasons why he was rejecting her.

She pulled into an open spot in front of a small boutique.  She had no idea what she was doing, but as hard as her tears were falling, driving wasn’t a safe option.  She got out of the car on shaky legs, pulling her coat around her body and ducking her head down, hoping no one would notice her tear-stained cheeks.

Block after block she walked, not paying attention to where she was going except to make sure she was still among the crowds of Christmas shoppers darting in and out of stores creating a picture-perfect holiday scene that only seemed to exist in movies or on Hallmark cards.  Her phone continued to vibrate in her pocket, never letting her forget the events that led her to seek the solace of anonymity on a busy street.  The cold air and constant motion helped, but she still had no plan.

The sound of screeching tires cut through her thoughts and she looked up to see a large, black SUV speeding up beside her.  When it made a sharp right and skidded to a halt in the alley she was about to cross, fear bubbled up in her veins.  She took a few clumsy steps backwards as she scrambled to find her phone.  The most recent call—from him, as she’d expected—had just gone to voicemail, so she quickly pulled up Charlie’s number.

He picked up after two rings, but before he could say a word, she began speaking, unable to control the panic that in her voice.  “I thought they were gone.  They were supposed to be gone.  Dad, I—”

She had just started to turn to run in the opposite direction when she was grabbed from behind.  She kicked and fought, unsuccessfully trying to free herself from her attacker.  Remembering those days in the padded room where she’d trained for just this event, she focused on forcing the body behind her away, uncurling the arm that was anchored around her.  But when she tried to scream, she was met with a cloth clamped over her mouth.  She started choking on the sweet, cloying scent, shaking her head back and forth in a desperate attempt to find fresh air, but the hand was secured too tightly.  Losing the little progress she’d made in pushing her attacker away, she began thrashing against his grip.

She was still facing the SUV, and although it wasn’t a surprise, the sight of Demetri opening the back door brought tears of defeat to her eyes.  No matter how hard she fought, no matter how she dug her heels in, her attacker—Felix, she assumed—was stronger and pushed her forward.  She tried to increase resistance with her gift and attempted to push Demetri away as they neared him, but her mind was getting too hazy to concentrate. When they were close enough, Demetri grabbed her feet and the two of them forced her into the back seat.

“All right, move it.  Now!” Demetri yelled to the driver.  The sound of the tires screeching once again was the last thing she heard before it all went black.

 

 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

“Oh God,” Bella moaned, holding her head in her hands and taking slow, deep breaths in an attempt to curb the nausea.

Once she felt safe to move, she opened her eyes and tried to blink away the darkness.  It didn’t work, and the lack of light left her feeling disoriented to the point she questioned whether her eyes were even open.

It was then that she remembered what had happened.  One minute she was trying to walk off her agitation and sadness until her head was in the right place to talk to Edward about what had transpired in her bedroom, the next she was forcefully hauled into an SUV and losing consciousness.

The realization that she had no idea what they had done to her, where they had taken her, or even how much time had passed sent her into a panic.  She blindly searched around her with her hands, trying to figure out her surroundings.

From the cushioning beneath her, the softness of the fabric, and the expanse of the flat surface she safely assumed she was on a bed.   Her hand slid slowly to the side, searching for the edge of the mattress and assessing how much room she had to work with.

Scooting to the headboard, she sat curled with her knees pulled up against her chest, a defensive posture that, logically, she knew offered little in the way of actual defense.  Unwilling to explore any further in the pitch black of the room, her limited options left her with nothing but her own racing mind.

The absolute silence surrounding her was insanity-inducing.  The sound of her own breathing seemed too loud for her ears.  Occasionally she would convince herself that she’d heard something, but when she tried to focus her attention there was nothing.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d sat like that when her imagined noises started to sound a little more real.  When she recognized the scrape of a key inside a lock, her heart began to thunder in her chest.  The light that poured in was blinding, and she immediately had to avert her eyes.  Squinting and blinking, she tried to make out the figure entering the room but was unsuccessful until he began to laugh.

“Looks like Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake,” Felix said, chuckling at his joke.

As her eyes began to adjust, she glared at him which only made him laugh more.  He sauntered closer until she stopped him.  The invisible wall she’d created caught him off-guard for a moment, but seconds later he laughed again.

“Oh this is fun,” he said, winking at her and pulling a chair from against the wall and sitting down.

As he slouched in his seat with his hands behind his head looking fully relaxed, Bella took the opportunity to glance around the room.  As she’d suspected, she was in a bedroom, but she wouldn’t have guessed that her prison would’ve been so elaborately decorated.  She was surrounded by golds and rich reds, ornate decorative pieces, and antique furniture.  Whoever designed the room was likely going for regal, but to Bella it just looked gaudy.

The massive amounts of décor almost detracted from the exposed stone walls, lack of windows, and an industrial door that sealed the room, explaining the total absence of light.  A plain, wooden door stood opposite her, also seeming to allow no light to filter through.

When her eyes landed on Felix again, he was watching her.

“What?  Not going to put up a fight?” he asked, shaking his head.  “I thought for sure you’d be feisty, keep things interesting.”

Of course she wanted to fight, but she knew nothing would be accomplished from doing so.  Instead, she opted to observe.  She had very little information, and if she had any hope of making it out of here, she needed to stay calm and study, let them get complacent so she could find her escape.  She didn’t have enough knowledge about her surroundings to make an honest attempt at breaking out.

“You know,” Felix continued, “we didn’t think we’d ever get you alone.  We’d given up and were going to come back here empty handed.  We were almost on the plane, too.  Then we get a phone call telling us to take a little ride that evening.  I thought they were bullshitting us, but damn if you weren’t right there where they said you’d be.”

“How—” Bella’s voice crackled from lack of use and she coughed before trying again.  “How did they know?”

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and his smirk saying he was happy that she was finally responding.  “Alice ain’t the only psychic around.”

Unable to continue looking at him, she turned her attention to a vase on a dresser across the room, keeping Felix in her peripheral vision just in case he decided to make a move.  “What did you do to me?  I feel like shit.”

“That’s just the meds.  They’ll wear off eventually.”

She glanced at him quickly and saw that he was looking at her arm where she hadn’t noticed a makeshift bandage.  She pulled the surgical tape, taking the folded piece of gauze with it, and exposed an ugly purple bruise with a small red dot in the center where she’d presumably been administered a sedative.

Her nose scrunched as the nausea began to build in her stomach, but after a few slow, deep breaths, she was able to ward it off.

“You people are so fucked up,” she mumbled mostly to herself but loud enough for him to hear.

“Eh, it’s a living,” he said, shrugging, so casual about the situation that it only confirmed Bella’s words.

The door opened again and an unfamiliar woman entered with a tray.  Felix rushed to meet her, taking the tray from her hands.  She didn’t stay, only pausing long enough to cast a curious glance at Bella before leaving the room.

Felix set the tray down on top of the dresser, getting closer to Bella than she’d allowed him before.  She tensed, her body ready to react if he made a sudden move toward her, but he walked away as soon as he was done.  Her eyes followed his progress as he crossed the room and opened the plain door she’d noticed earlier.  Anxiety started to bubble up within her at the unknown, but it all seemed very anti-climactic when the door opened to reveal a large bathroom.  Though she couldn’t see the whole room from where she sat, it appeared to be just as elaborately designed as the bedroom.

“Clothes in the closet, and towels are right here,” he said as he kicked at what she could only assume was a cupboard or another closet just out of her line of sight.

He walked back out of the room and headed for the industrial door.  He turned back to her as he walked out, and with a taunting smirk, said, “Make yourself at home.”

The door closed, sealing off the sound of his laughter.  She’d been tempted to force him away from the lock to keep the door from shutting her in, but she still had no idea where she was or what awaited her outside if she somehow managed to escape.  Until she had a better idea what she was up against, it wasn’t worth the risk.

Once she was sure that he wasn’t returning, she began to openly assess the room.   The tray of food beside her piqued her interest, and she was surprised by what she found beneath the domed cover.  Given her abduction and subsequent imprisonment, she’d have expected something closer to stale bread and few sips of water, not a gourmet meal.

Curious, she checked the closet inside the bathroom to find that it held a variety of brand new clothes.  Upon closer inspection, she noticed expensive designer labels.  On the bathroom counter, an array of high quality products had been laid out for her.

She walked back into the room, taking one more look around at the tacky décor and laughed humorlessly.  Even while kidnapping her and keeping her locked up, they were courting her.  They were still trying to sell her on the idea of working for them.

Granted, she still knew very little about her situation, but this she could work with.  It gave her a starting point. The fact that they were trying so hard to maintain the illusion of civility was something that, if she could remain calm, she could use to her advantage to gather the information she needed to plan her escape.

She uncovered the tray of food again and leaned closer, immediately regretting the move when the smell pushed her nausea over the edge.  She rushed to the bathroom and hovered over the toilet, coughing and choking as her empty stomach fought to expel something, anything.  When the feeling passed, she took her time brushing her teeth.  She still felt awful, recognizing the kind of queasiness that accompanied the array of chemicals mixing in her body.  She had no idea what type of sedative they’d given her to knock her out, but clearly it didn’t agree with her.

Making her way back into the room, she sat on the bed again, wanting to focus on the few details she knew but she was too tired from the drugs still coursing through her system to stay focused.   Exhaustion took hold, and as she laid there on the edge of consciousness, she started to think about all the things she should’ve done differently to prevent this situation.

As different scenarios played out in her head, they began to take on more dream-like qualities as she shifted closer and closer to slumber. She replayed that moment on her bed when Edward pulled away, muttering apologies and regret, her dream-self trying to alter the events.

“ _Sorry… So sorry, Bella…”_ she heard Edward’s voice repeating, over and over.

Like she was watching a movie, she could see the painfully familiar scene of him at the edge of the bed with his back to her, his tense posture incongruent to his desperate apologies.

 _“I shouldn’t have left,”_ her dream-self told him.  _“I didn’t know.  I just needed to think… to clear my head.  I was coming back.  I promise, I was coming back…”_

 _“We’re coming after you,”_ he assured her.  _“I don’t know how long it’ll take, but we’ll figure something out.  We’ll be there soon.”_

The image in her head was getting fuzzy as she fought to continue their imagined conversation.  _“I don’t even know where I am.”_

When she woke up again, the disorientation had returned in full force, produced mostly from the inability to judge time.  Though she still felt a little off from the remaining chemicals in her system, her nap cleared her head enough to focus on details.

She knew from the many earlier discussions about the Volturi that they had property all over the world but considered Italy to be their home base. It was still just a guess, but the aged stone walls of her room led her to believe that there was a good possibility that was where they had brought her.

The heavy accent of the woman that accompanied Felix a few minutes later confirmed it.  Though she only spoke a few words as she helped Felix trade out trays, Bella was sure.

“Bella, Bella, Bella,” Felix said with theatrical disappointment, shaking his head and tsking to complete the effect.  “What are we going to do with you?  Starving yourself isn’t going to solve anything.”

She glared at him and shifted until her posture straightened, trying to show that she wouldn’t cower or be intimidated.  “Sorry, I was a little preoccupied with vomiting and sleeping off whatever garbage you assholes decided to shoot me up with.”

Her stomach rumbled as she assessed the tray beside her.  Felix must have noticed her hesitation because she heard him sigh.  “It isn’t laced with anything.  We wouldn’t drag you all the way here just to poison you.”

“Pardon me for questioning your intentions.  I’m not sure where I’d get the idea to doubt your ethics.”

She opted for a slice of toast; not knowing how long it had been since she’d last eaten or how her stomach would handle food at the moment, it seemed like the safer bet.  The selection of breakfast foods gave her the first clue as to time—though she still didn’t know how long she’d been held captive, she assumed it was at least morning.

She pulled the toast apart, slowly eating small chunks as she waited for Felix to talk.  He was still chuckling at her, though.  “So, what is it?” she asked.  “You must have something to tell me if you’re hanging out in here.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  “You know, this all could’ve been so much easier,” he said.  There was nothing threatening in his tone, and that in itself made the warning that much clearer.  He was so relaxed and informal that they could’ve been discussing any number of mundane topics.

“And I suppose that’s my fault?” she asked.  She couldn’t deny that the situation terrified her, but she masked it with contempt and annoyance.

“You never bothered to question what _they’d_ told you,” he said, his tone leaving no doubt who he meant by ‘they.’  “We could’ve had a perfectly reasonable discussion a long time ago, but no… you let them weave their stories and left us with no other option but to intervene.”

Bella laughed, shaking her head.  “Intervene?  Yeah, I guess that sounds a lot better than kidnap, abduct, assault, imprison…”

“Yeah yeah, point made,” he said. 

He stretched his arms above his head, looking around the room.  Bella tried not to let her nervousness show as she assessed his behavior.  He was so laid-back, behaving as if they were just two people hanging out, but something felt like he was simply killing time.

She grew frustrated at his silence, compounded by the fact that he seemed so unaffected by it.  “So is there a point to all of this?  Are you just going to keep me locked away indefinitely?”

“My, you’re an impatient thing,” Felix said, grinning and winking, serving to irritate Bella further.

Before she could respond, the door unlocked and opened to reveal a man she’d seen in numerous photographs: Aro.  Her eyes darted between him and Felix as the feeling of panic ratcheted up a notch.  Felix stood, offering his seat to Aro whose attention was fixated on Bella.  His attempt at offering a comforting smile failed as Bella recognized immediately that it was forced.

She recoiled when he offered his hand, remembering everything she’d learned about his ability to read thoughts through touch.  Though she was certain that her shield would protect her, she was unsure how much he knew of her talent.   Everyone had been confident that the Volturi were under the impression that she was merely telekinetic and that her psychokinesis would be just as much a surprise to them as it was to everybody else.  No, it was much better to keep him at a physical distance than to allow him the knowledge that he couldn’t read her thoughts if he tried.

He stopped short, unable to move any closer to her, and she saw the momentary surprise on his face at being held at bay by her power before he had the chance to mask it. 

He laughed with the same light amusement that she’d heard repeatedly from Felix. 

“I’ve been so eager to meet you,” he said and reached forward again.  “No harm in a little handshake.”

This time, instead of simply stopping him, she forced his arm away causing it to fly out to the side.  “Don’t touch me.”  She could hear the venom in her words as she enunciated each one in the hopes that she could disguise the fear coursing through her.

His lips pressed tightly together and his eyes narrowed, and though it only lasted a moment, she knew she had angered him.  He quickly concealed it, though, nodding and smiling a false apology as he stepped away and sat in the chair vacated by Felix.

“I can’t imagine what stories you’ve been told, but I assure you they’ve been grossly exaggerated or perhaps entirely fictionalized,” he said, keeping his voice quiet and soothing. 

“I’m sure you’re going to set me straight, huh?” Bella asked.

“The attitude is not necessary, nor is it cute.”

His tone was chastising, but Bella refused to look away.  She’d gathered more strength than she ever thought she’d be able to and wasn’t about to cower now.

Aro sighed and leaned back in his chair.  “The duty we have taken upon ourselves to keep people like us safe requires us to bend the rules from time to time.  It’s a massive undertaking that demands power, the ability to weave in and out of the political world, and money.  Lots of money.  Our current and future security is not an inexpensive task.”

Bella sat stiffly, listening and waiting, hoping that he’d tell her something useful that could help her escape, but he seemed intent on taking this time to downplay the severity of their actions to earn her favor.

“I mean…” he paused for an artificial chuckle, “could you imagine what would happen if the whole world knew about us?  Our lives would never be the same again.  We could never be sure who was coming after us next!”

A dark laugh escaped before Bella could hold it back.  “Yeah, you’d never know when you’d be walking down the street, minding your own business only to find yourself kidnapped and locked up in a strange bedroom.”

This time he didn’t bother to hide the fire in his eyes as his façade slipped.  “I can see you already have your mind set.  I’d hoped you would be a little more unbiased, but it’s clear that they’ve conditioned you to have no tolerance for what we do.  How easily they forget that it’s because of our efforts that they live as freely as they do.” He was up and moving around, pacing back and forth while gesticulating wildly as he continued to rant.  “Absolutely no respect for the sacrifices we’ve made, the decades of work, laboring to prevent our secrets from leaking to the masses…”

Bella watched with wide eyes as Aro raged, unsure if he was even still speaking to her.  Even Felix seemed to be taken aback by the tirade, something that she found unnerving.  She tensed when Aro turned his attention back to her, stepping as close as she would allow.  She could by the set of his jaw and the way his nostrils flared that he didn’t appreciate being kept at a distance, but she didn’t care.  This was self-preservation on multiple levels.

“Fine,” he seethed.  “You don’t want the safety and financial security we can offer you?  I have a proposition for you.”

Bella was wary, the leer on his face making her cautious as she wondered just what he had in mind.  “What’s that?”

He paused for dramatic effect, clasping his hands behind his back as he stood straight and began to pace again, this time slowly and with purpose.  “Not yet. I want you to think about what you’re willing to do to ensure your and your friends’ autonomy.  I’ll return once I’ve decided you’ve had long enough to mull things over, and you will give me your decision.”

“And if I say no?” she asked, trying desperately to keep any trace of apprehension out of her voice.

He strode to the door with Felix on his heels, turning to face her just before leaving.  “Then you can continue to watch your back indefinitely.”

At the sound of the lock engaging, Bella let loose a shaky breath, slumping back onto the bed.  She could feel the tremors as her body shook, purging every emotion she’d kept hidden during the entire confrontation. Never would she have guessed that she’d come to view being locked alone in a room as a respite.

She replayed every sentence spoken, part of her regretting pushing Aro, but overall satisfied in the strength she was able to gather, even if most of it was feigned.  His parting words confused and concerned her, and as afraid as she was to find out what his offer entailed, she wished he’d have laid it all out while he was there rather than leave her to consider worst possible scenarios.  That, however, was most likely the very reason he didn’t divulge his plans yet.  It seemed plausible to her that he wanted her to think of the most heinous potential requests so that when he finally made his demand it would pale in comparison.

She couldn’t help but wish that she had Edward, Alice, or any of them to speak to.  She had no clue if she was handling things the best way possible and a little confirmation would’ve been nice.  But that line of thought only brought her attention to the little touch of psychosis she’d been trying so hard to forget: Edward’s voice.  The dream had been one thing, but she continued to hear him no matter how much she tried to ignore it.  She felt much better so her excuse that the sedatives she’d been given were to blame was void; all she could attribute it to was wishful thinking.  Her mind had conjured his presence in this small form, her very own Jiminy Cricket living inside of her head, to help her through her imprisonment.

Even still, she refused to let herself submit to the lunacy and actually carry on conversations with her imagination.

With little to occupy her mind aside from passively exploring the slow waning of her sanity, she surrendered to the need to wash away the grunge of time, travel, and captivity.  Her mistrust increased, filling her with the need to check every corner of the bathroom for surveillance equipment.  Even after her search came up empty, she opted to let the hot water run for a while to allow the steam to build and fog up any real or imagined hidden lenses.

The warm water began to loosen the knots in her muscles the instant she stepped under the spray, and as much as she wanted to stay there until the water ran cold, she felt too vulnerable and hurried through her routine.  Most of the clothes provided for her were impractical, but a search yielded jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  She yelped when she walked back into the bedroom, not expecting to see Aro back so soon.  Her hair was wet and feet were bare, both reminders of how she’d been totally defenseless just moments ago.

“Oh good,” he said, smiling what Bella was sure he intended to be a warm smile.  “So glad you’ve made yourself comfortable.  I hope the provisions we’ve supplied are to your liking.”

She looked at him in confusion, wondering if he’d somehow completely forgotten their earlier argument.  As much as she’d been questioning her own sanity before, it was nothing compared to how much she was now questioning his.

She didn’t move from her spot or bother to answer, but he seemed unconcerned.  “I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier.  I didn’t mean for my temper to get the best of me like that.  Hearing how low your opinion of us is before we’ve had a chance to tell our side… well… I suppose I got a little defensive.  It isn’t your fault that you’ve been fed such horror stories.  Honestly, it’s no wonder you’d react the way you have.”

“Yeah,” she said, disbelief coloring her tone as she waited for some sign of his intentions.

He walked around the room, casually picking up some of the decorative pieces to inspect before putting them back into place.  “Anyway, I returned to offer my apology and inform you that you’ll be having dinner in the formal dining hall this evening.  I think it’ll be a good opportunity for you to meet and talk to people who have opted to join our cause so that you can form a more well-rounded opinion before you make any decisions.  A new perspective from those who were once in your position will do you a world of good.”

Bella restrained the part of her that wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter how many people she spoke to, her opinion wouldn’t change, but she recognized the opportunity to finally piece together more information about her surroundings.  The chance to see what existed outside the walls of her prison was more than enough incentive to keep quiet. 

She didn’t respond verbally, but the nod she offered was sufficient as Aro clapped his hands once and smiled his most genuine smile yet.  “Wonderful.  Someone will be by in a few hours to pick you up.”

She watched, dumbfounded, as he turned and walked out the door without another word.  Not that anything could’ve prepared her for this situation, but his fluctuating moods left her bewildered on top of everything else.  She could only cling to the hope that his need to present some façade of courteousness and professionalism would work to her advantage.   He was backtracking, desperate to regain the ground he lost by lashing out at her, and she was going to use that to her advantage.

She spent the time waiting for her escort to dinner trying to figure out some sort of plan of attack.  Polite and quiet, she decided, would be the best course and something she would have little trouble maintaining.  Her self-assured attitude in front of Felix and Aro was one thing—she’d essentially been cornered and on the defensive—but in a room full of Volturi associates, she wasn’t sure she had the strength to fake that level of confidence.  No, keeping to herself and letting them think she was truly considering their perspective was the better choice. 

She had been rehearsing the best way to word questions without giving away the fact that she was looking for an escape route when she was distracted by a flash of something in her peripheral vision.  

She gasped, unsure if what she was seeing was real, even though this was hardly the first time she had witnessed such a thing.  There, on the other side of her room, was Rosalie.  Or, more specifically, Rosalie’s projection.

“What—how—?” Bella floundered for words and nodded when Rosalie placed a finger at her lips to tell Bella not to speak. 

Rosalie winked before scanning the room and heading directly for the main door. Bella watched as she examined it, most of her attention focused on the lock.  After a minute, she nodded at seemingly nothing before turning back to Bella.

“Sorry it took so long, but it’s been a lot of trial and error figuring out where you were,” she said quietly, barely above a whisper.  “Just listen, okay?”

The way she emphasized the words, Bella knew there was more meaning behind them but she couldn’t figure out what.   “Listen?” she asked.

A scuffle behind the door drew both girls’ attention, and realizing their time was limited, Rosalie gave Bella a pointed look.  “Listen.  It’s him.”

She reached out as if she were about to tap Bella’s temple.  Though the projection couldn’t make contact, the intent was clear.   Bella waited for more explanation, but Rosalie just smiled and nodded her head.  Suddenly it clicked; the voice that had taken up residence in her mind was still there, speaking to her.  _“Bella, Bella, Bella.  Please say something.  Tell me you can hear me.”_

She began to tremble with the realization.  _“Edward?”_ she thought.

Even his sigh of relief was audible to her.  _“Oh, thank god, Bella… We’re going to get you out of there, okay?”_

At that moment, the door flew open.  Rosalie winked, grinning, and then disappeared just as a half a dozen men were rushing into the room.  They were all talking and yelling over each other, their words indistinct.  They parted to make room for Aro, his mood having shifted to rage once again.

“What did she say to you?  How did they find out?” he yelled.

She shook her head and tried to focus on keeping everyone at a distance.  “I don’t know.”

“Tell me!” he yelled.  “We have cameras in this room, we saw her, we heard her tell you to listen… what did she tell you?”

With a little quick thinking Bella answered, “She didn’t get a chance, we heard you coming.  She didn’t explain.  She told me to listen and then you guys interrupted her.”

He was still furious, but after gauging her reaction for a few seconds seemed to buy her story.  Her excuse was a logical one given the limited information they were privy to; they had no idea that she’d managed to figure the message out and now had a direct link to Edward, something she wished she could explore further but the more immediate threat facing her took priority.

 _“Bella, what’s happening? Are you okay?”_ Edward’s thought cut in as Aro began pacing, rubbing at his chin in thought.

She relayed details back to Edward while keeping an eye on Aro.  He pulled two men aside, giving harshly whispered orders and sending them out of the room. 

 _“He’s moving you,”_ Edward said.  _“Alice can see it.  This will work in our favor.  Don’t put up a fight.  Just go along with his plans, okay?”_

 _“Okay,”_ she responded.  _“But where are they taking me?”_

 _“He’s undecided,”_ Edward said.  _“Alice says that he’s debating a few different places, but none of them are as well fortified as where you are now.  Does he know he can’t read you?”_

_“No, I haven’t let him get close enough to touch me.  He has no idea that I can block powers… he just knows I can keep people physically away.”_

_“Good, try to hold onto that as long as possible.”_

Before she could continue her internal conversation with Edward, Aro turned to her, eyes narrowed in warning.  “We’re leaving immediately.  Now, I’m not so naïve as to think you can’t prevent my men from hauling you out of here, so keep in mind that they are armed.  Are you willing to test your power against a gun?  How about four of them?”

Bella’s eyes widened at the threat and Aro chuckled.  “That’s what I thought.  Put some shoes on and follow me.”

Bella scrambled to do as instructed, holding onto the hope that Edward knew what he was talking about.  She followed Aro out of the room, her eyes darting all around her as they rushed down the halls.  She tried to ignore the men surrounding her, and ducked her head at the stares and glowers she received from strangers they passed.  In minutes, she had her first glimpse of daylight.  She tried to think of how long she could have been held but couldn’t even guess.

 _“Edward?”_ she asked.

Cars were pulling up to the front of the large stone structure.  A castle?  It seemed preposterous, but from what she knew, medieval castles were among the properties the Volturi owned.

_“Yeah?”_

_“How long has it… how long have I been here?”_ she asked.

There was a slight pause before he responded, _“Four days.”_

While she was relieved that she hadn’t missed weeks, the idea of missing even days was unsettling.

 _“I promise we’ll be there soon,”_ Edward said, his voice pleading.  _“There was so much to figure out before we could come.  I swear, I didn’t want to leave you to fend for yourself with them for so long.  We had to—”_

 _“No, I get it,”_ she answered.  She’d known from the moment she woke up that they’d get to her as quickly as possible.  She hadn’t doubted that.  _“This isn’t the kind of situation you can rush into.  But please, don’t put yourselves in danger.  I’d never forgive myself.  It’ll be hard enough to forgive myself for letting this happen in the first place.”_

 _“Don’t,”_ he said in the same pleading tone as before.  _“We’ll talk when all this is over, but don’t blame yourself. We both made mistakes, but the only people to blame are_ them _.  You should be able to walk away and cool off without worrying about getting kidnapped right off the street.  Don’t convince yourself that it’s your fault.”_

“Are we ready?” Aro’s voice cut through her mental conversation. 

A few bags were loaded into the back of a sleek, black sedan, the sound of the slamming trunk almost jarring.  Bella glanced around at the people gathered outside, some loading into other vehicles while others seemed to simply be observing the chaos and activity.  Two men that she recognized as Caius and Marcus slipped into an SUV that sped off before the others.

“How could you let this happen?” Aro yelled at a young girl, not much older than Bella.  The girl’s head was bowed, ashamed, as Aro continued to rant at her.  “I would’ve expected you to have given us fair warning that they would find her so quickly.  Now we have to run from our home like a bunch of common criminals.”

Bella wanted to laugh at his choice of words, clearly the man was deluded if he thought the description wasn’t accurate, but Felix sidling up beside her stopped her.  She looked over at him to see him watching the same scene.  He didn’t look at her, but nodded in the direction of the girl.  “That’s the psychic.”

Bella looked at him curiously, unsure as to why he was explaining this to her.  When she didn’t respond, he continued.  “She’s frighteningly accurate.  She can zero in on the final outcome, but her visions come in dreams so it’s a little inconvenient.  She can’t really control what she sees and is very limited to when she sees it.  That’s why Aro wants Alice.  Even if her visions change with every decision, they’re a little more ‘on demand’ and much more useful.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.

He shrugged, but didn’t get a chance to answer as Aro strode over and motioned for them to follow him with a wave of his hand as he passed.

“Let’s get out of here.” He leveled a withering glare at Bella.  “Get in the car and don’t you dare try anything once we’re on the road.”

She struggled to keep up with his quick pace.  “Where are we going?” she asked.

“South,” was all he said.

 _“Edward, where are they taking me?”_ she asked, suddenly afraid of the unknown ahead of her.

_“Sermoneta.”_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Sermoneta.

The name meant nothing to her; she wracked her brain for any mention she may have missed but couldn't recall it. Forced to split her attention between her conversation with Edward and the bustle of activity surrounding her as unfamiliar faces rushed around, she found herself growing impatient.

" _Sermoneta? Where or what is Sermoneta?"_ she asked while watching Felix open the back door of the car and flip the child lock on. He offered an apologetic shrug before motioning for her to get in while she rolled her eyes at how effortless it would be to flip the lock right back off using her power.

" _It's another medieval town, a little smaller than Volterra, where you are now,"_ Edward explained as Bella took her seat, watching as Felix closed the door behind her. The urge to run was high, but she knew it was pointless. As much as her confidence had grown with her power, she knew she wouldn't last long trying to put up a fight against so many.

" _Where exactly is it?"_ she asked.

" _About an hour outside of Rome,"_ Edward answered. _"It's going to delay us since we weren't expecting this when we got on a plane, but Emmett's working on it… trying to figure out if it'll be quicker to drive or get a connecting flight. Either way, we shouldn't be too far behind."_

Bella tensed as the other doors opened in rapid succession and three people climbed inside: Aro in the seat next to her, Felix and a woman she hadn't seen before in front. She unconsciously scooted away from Aro, though still well within arm's reach. His proximity was unnerving, but he ignored her presence.

The engine rumbled to a start and the car inched forward, falling into the line of vehicles working their way over aged cobblestone roads. She turned her head to watch the small village pass by, making sure to keep Aro in her peripheral vision should he reach out to in an attempt to make physical contact.

" _We're moving,"_ she said, then quickly glanced around. This connection was so new, so strange, it was hard to believe that it was truly just the two of them in her head, that the others surrounding her didn't know what she was doing.

The stone structures gave way to rolling green hills marked by vineyards, olive groves, and clusters of tall, narrow trees stretching up toward the clear, blue sky. The fact that she couldn't simply appreciate the beauty beyond the window, images she'd only dreamed of seeing in person, served to fuel her resentment.

" _How are you holding up?"_ Edward asked, concern evident in his mental voice.

She dropped her head to rest against the cool glass. _"I'm okay, all things considered. But I feel like I'm on the edge… like one little push is all it'll take."_

" _Just keep doing what you're doing… Alice was able to follow most of what you've been through. I don't know anyone who could've handled it better. The way you stood up to Aro… most people are scared shitless of him."_

She nearly snorted, but stopped herself. _"Trust me, I was… I am. I don't know how to read him, no idea what to expect."_

" _Well, you really got under his skin,"_ he said, a hint of laughter slipping through. _"He's delusional—he's spent decades justifying what they do and can't handle it when someone challenges that… forces him to take a hard look in the mirror."_

" _I wish I could say it was intentional. I didn't want him to know that he was getting to me."_

" _Pretty sure you distracted him from that,"_ he said, and again she could hear the amusement in his voice. _"But you may want to back off until we get there, lay low. Although Emmett wanted me to relay his congratulations for, and I quote, 'making the freakshow lose his shit.'"_

Bella masked her laugh with a cough, turning her head to hide the smile, and then thumped her chest with her fist a few times for show. She noticed Aro casting a curious look in her direction, and she turned her head back to the window to prevent him from reading anything in her expression.

The car slowed to a stop at a small airport, cutting Bella and Edward's mental conversation short. A small plane idled within eyesight, its door open as those who left first ascended the stairs to board.

Bella waited alone, locked in the car, eyes scanning everything taking place outside of the vehicle. Felix opened her door, stepping aside to let her out. Aro hovered nearby, whispering harshly to three people Bella didn't know, his words inaudible to her.

They nodded to him and scurried ahead to the plane. Bella flinched when Aro reached out as if intending to guide her by her elbow, automatically responding by using her gift to once again keep him from touching her. His lips pressed into a tight line, the only signal that he was annoyed, just before waving his hand in a gesture for her to walk ahead of him.

Stepping into the cabin of the private jet, she felt all eyes turn to her and conversation cease. Her steps faltered when she realized she had no idea where she should sit.

"Take a seat over there and don't cause any trouble," Aro instructed.

A cluster of four seats, two pairs facing each other, sat empty in the back. Though it was clear that the intention was to distance her from the hushed conversations taking place in front, she was happy with the space.

Her solitude didn't last long; just as the plane started to move, Felix dropped himself into one of the seats facing hers, propping his feet up on the empty one next to her.

"Don't you get tired of babysitting me?" she asked with an annoyed scrunch of her nose.

"Maybe I just wanted to hang out?" he said, earning a quirked brow of disbelief causing him to laugh. "No really… no one told me to come over. You were all by yourself and I didn't think you'd want to sit by someone you don't know."

"I don't know you," she countered. "You're just some guy who camped outside my classes all semester, then shoved me into an SUV."

"Yeah, but under different circumstances, who knows?"

There was nothing salacious or suggestive in his tone. He wasn't flirting, simply offering his opinion.

""Yeah, but under different circumstances, there would've been no reason for you to stalk me," she said, mirroring his words for emphasis. "There's no other reason you and I would've ever crossed paths."

"Maybe." He was quiet for a moment. "But I'm not even talking about just you… I'm talking about all of you… it doesn't have to be us versus them."

"So what's the other option? Everyone just gives up free will to be 'them'? I don't think so."

Bella shifted in her seat, getting more comfortable. There was a strange ease in talking to Felix—as irrational as it seemed, him being her abductor and all—to be able to have a calm, rational discussion on such a serious topic. She recognized it as the same kind of impassioned debate that one would have discussing opposite sides of politics or religion without it devolving into belligerent insults.

"You're not giving up free will," he said, rolling his eyes at her. "This really isn't as bad as you think it is. There are a lot of people out there who wouldn't hesitate to exploit people like you. Really, this community _needs_ to band together to keep that from happening."

"But how is it any different from the way they—" Bella nodded her head once in Aro, Marcus, and Caius' direction "—exploit us. You don't see how what they're doing is no different?" She had momentum now, her words spilling in rapid succession leaving no opening for Felix to interject. "I mean, do we even know there would be an issue if everything went public? When was the last time someone tested the water? How much of this is an attempt to keep our secret from public knowledge, and how much of it is three megalomaniacs manipulating the situation to benefit themselves and trying to hang onto some contrived authority? They need people to believe they're our only answer, because otherwise, they're nobody and all of this goes away." She gestured around, the private jet providing a perfect example of the wealth and assets afforded to the Volturi by their decades long ruse.

"You're overthinking," he said. "Just keep an open mind, and at least listen when they explain. If you don't like what they have to say, leave."

He shrugged as if it was really that easy.

Bella pressed her lips together, feeling lighter at saying everything that had been on her mind but frustrated at the knowledge that it wouldn't help.

She looked around the cabin, noticing a few people who had apparently been watching her and Felix. He was too busy drumming this thumb on the armrest to some unknown beat in his head, unaware.

Moments after making eye contact with a woman sitting toward the front, she felt that familiar pressure of someone attempting to get past her shield. It was unsettling as it was the first time someone had tried since Bella had arrived in Italy. It was disconcerting not knowing this woman and therefore not knowing what her power was.

" _Someone's trying to get past my shield,"_ she said, hoping Edward was still paying attention and would hear her. _"There's a woman starting at me—she looks annoyed, so I think it's her."_

" _What does she look like?"_ Bella could hear the edge of panic and worry in Edward's mental voice. _"She isn't short, blonde—"_

" _Wait! Do that again!"_ Bella interrupted. It was quick, but she was certain that he had somehow passed an image along with his thoughts.

" _Do what? What are you talking about?"_

" _I saw what you were thinking,"_ she explained. _"She was built like Alice but with straight, blonde hair… wearing jeans and a red, long-sleeved top."_

" _Holy shit!"_

She wanted to laugh, but knew she had to control herself. There was no way she could explain a random burst of hysteria.

" _Let me try something,"_ Edward said, and immediately an image settled in the back of her mind of her friends cramped into seats on a commercial flights, sketching in notebooks or typing away on laptops. The relief Bella felt at the sight was immeasurable; she knew they were working to find her, but the image of them in action did more than any verbal assurance could.

" _I see them," she said._

" _You try it. The woman you think is trying to get to you… can you show her to me?"_ he asked.

The pressure against her shield was still there, and when she looked over the woman was still watching her. Bella concentrated on her desire for Edward to be able to see, unsure of how else to pass the image along.

" _It isn't Jane."_ The relief in his voice couldn't have been more evident.

" _Who is she? What can she do?"_

" _If I'm not mistaken, that's Chelsea,"_ he answered. _"Eleazar mentioned her… she manipulates everyone's bonds to the Volturi, creating a sense of loyalty."_

" _So she's trying to influence me… to make me sympathize with them and not you guys."_ More than ever, she was thankful for the gift that prevented such powers to gain any ground with her.

" _I don't know how much longer it'll take before they figure out that there's more to you than they thought. If people keep trying and failing with you…"_

His words trailed off, the rest unnecessary.

" _Are you close?"_ she asked, needing to know, feeling like every second counted.

Another image filled her mind. At first she wasn't sure what she was supposed to see other than the cabin of the commercial flight they were on until she realized that beyond the backs of the other passengers' heads was a screen that flipped from one map showing the flight's progress to the next. On one of the close-ups she could clearly see that the plane was somewhere over the south of France… just a short distance from Italy.

Bella closed her eyes to better focus on the picture in her head. _"You're really coming."_

" _Of course we are,"_ he said, his tone so matter-of-fact and sincere that Bella had to stop a tear from slipping out.

When she opened her eyes, she looked around to see that the others were paying her little attention—cursory glances were cast in her direction at random, but for the moment she wasn't the focus. Even Felix, still sitting across from her, appeared to have fallen asleep.

It was the first moment she'd had to really digest everything. She knew, of course, what it meant for her to be able to communicate with Edward this way, but things had happened so quickly that confirmation wasn't a priority. But now, she needed that confirmation regardless of how certain she was. There was still so much she didn't know about this world, and given the way she and Edward had parted ways, a small part of her wondered if there was some other explanation she wasn't privy to.

" _Is this… that we can talk like this… does that mean…?"_ she trailed off, struggling to find the words and a little afraid to voice them directly.

Fortunately, Edward seemed to know exactly what she was trying to say. _"Yes."_

She breathed a sigh of relief and forced herself to keep her expression placid, though all she wanted to do was smile. That one word was all she needed to hear. The topic was better off left for later when they were face to face, and by his lack of further comment, Edward seemed to agree.

But after a moment, he spoke again. _"Bella, we'll talk later, but you have to know… that day you left, I had no idea that you heard me. I wasn't speaking. You_ heard _me."_

Repetition and emphasis left no doubt as to what he was talking about; his apologies to her, his regret over his actions... she'd heard his thoughts.

" _I had no idea,"_ he assured her, continuing without pausing. _"If I had known that you felt the same, that this connection had been triggered and that it would manifest like this, I wouldn't have walked away like that. I shouldn't have walked away at all, but later… when I realized what you'd heard and how it came across out of context like that…"_

" _So you didn't hear me?"_ she asked.

" _No,"_ he said. _"It seems we can only hear what we want to share… I can't hear your every passing thought like I can everyone else."_

Given everything else going on around her, this was hardly the most important issue, but Bella couldn't help but be relieved that her privacy was still hers. She hadn't thought to wonder about that, but now that he'd brought it to light the idea was uncomfortable regardless of how much she cared for him.

As the jet began to make its descent, her heart began to pound. All around her everyone was settling in for landing, calm and collected while she struggled to maintain her composure.

Though the wheels hitting the runway were jarring, the undeniable confirmation that they were one step closer to their final destination was more unnerving.

" _We're here."_

Edward's reassurances helped a little, but she couldn't stop her hands from shaking as she exited the jet and was led to a similar car to the one that had dropped them off on the previous leg.

Again, she found herself taking in the scenery surrounding them as they drove while keeping part of her attention to those in the vehicle. This time, however, she was much more distracted, and when they wound their way up a hill and stopped just outside of the stony city at the top, she found she couldn't recall any of it.

A number of other cars were already parked on the side of the road, and she looked around in confusion.

"The roads are too narrow inside," Felix said, correctly guessing the source of her confusion. "They didn't exactly design this place for modern transportation."

"What?" she asked, still unable to think clearly.

"Locals can take cars in, but they won't get very far past this main road," he said, gesturing just past the entrance. "Everything is tucked down tiny side streets. There's no point driving in. Easier to walk from here."

It seemed that once again, others had gone ahead of them as only a relative few remained just outside of the city walls. With no need to communicate, they organized on instinct to surround her as they began walking.

"Don't try anything funny," Aro warned.

The road had a steady uphill grade to it, and in addition to the uneven cobblestones, it made walking on unsteady legs difficult. Bella found herself stumbling at random, unable to take her eyes off of the scenery around her. It was all so quaint, straight out of a history book. Nothing gave away that something much darker resided within the city's walls. On her right there were cozy trattorias. On her left and above, old Italian women were hanging their laundry from their second floor balconies while carrying on conversations in raised voices to counter the distance. On a stoop, an old man pulled a pipe from his mouth and nodded a hello at her, winking before returning the pipe to his mouth.

She wondered how no one seemed to notice what was right in front of them. To her, it was obvious that she was being led against her will, but as her eyes flicked around to the circle of guards around her to see that they too were looking in various directions, she realized that they looked like nothing more than a crowd of tourists.

The others didn't falter in their path, leading Bella around narrow, twisting roads until they reached wide steps that led to what appeared to be a small castle of some sort. They were near one of the city's outer walls, and from where she stood Bella could see it was a steep incline to the bottom miles below. Stretched out beyond, fields and farmland in varying shades of green were cut into uneven squares like a disproportionate checkerboard.

She didn't have time to gaze, however. All too soon, she was being herded up the steps and into the castle.

Inside, the stone walls were just as cold and unwelcoming as the property in Volterra. Before they could move too far beyond the entrance, Bella began to focus on her course, feeding the images back to Edward.

" _I don't know where they're taking me,"_ she said.

His response was quick. _"No, this is perfect. Emmett has a map of the interior, so show me exactly where you're going so we can trace the path to where they're going to hold you. Alice can see the room, but not which one it is on the map. We were trying to figure out how in the hell we were going to find it."_

With each corner they turned, and with every potentially useful landmark they passed, she continued to show Edward where she was and where they were headed. Though she knew it would still be a while before her friends could come for her, this task kept her feeling sane. She felt useful being able to add something to their plans instead of just waiting around for them to show up like a damsel in distress.

Eventually she was led to a large room, similar to the bedroom she'd been locked in back in Volterra. This one was larger, with massive tapestries covering much of the exposed stone of the walls.

"Sit."

She spun around at the sound of Aro's voice, afraid for a moment that he'd moved close enough to touch her. She still wasn't ready to let him know that his power would be useless against her. But when he spoke again, it was obvious that regardless of whether or not she was prepared to lose that edge, he'd already begun to piece it together.

"What are you?" he demanded.

She startled at his raised voice. "I'm sorry, what?"

"What are you," he repeated, enunciating each word. "It's clear that you aren't simply telekinetic."

She hesitated, unsure of how to answer him without making things worse. She certainly wasn't going to offer up that she was actually psychokinetic, but any lie she told him had to be plausible. Heavy footfalls pounded out in the hall moments before Marcus and Caius entered the room.

"Have you figured her out yet?" Caius asked Aro, never taking his eyes from Bella.

"Not yet. You arrived just as I began questioning her."

She stood stock still as all three men moved closer, stopping in front of her. She shifted uncomfortably as each assessed her, trading meaningful glances. After a moment, Marcus and Aro moved to sit in nearby chairs, silently allowing Caius to take over the interrogation.

Her feet slid back fractionally, one at a time, trying to subtly create distance from the man in front of her. He was intimidating in his stillness, an unmoving statue apart from the slight tilt of his head and narrowing of eyes as he stared her down.

"How is it," he said, pausing for effect, "that you manage to render Demetri's ability nearly useless?"

"I don't know what you mean."

He ignored her words and continued, "And again, Chelsea's power has no effect on you."

"I don't even know who Chelsea is," Bella argued. Though Edward had informed her who the woman trying to get past her shield on the jet was, she clung to the hope that she wouldn't be questioned since she'd never been introduced to the woman.

"You won't allow Aro near you," he said, pressing on. "Is that because you are afraid of what he'll see? Or because you're afraid of what he _won't_ see?"

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"Your friends… I bet they're just as ineffective, aren't they?" The accompanying smirk was unsettling. "This is clearly beyond the capabilities of your run-of-the-mill telekinetic."

The question was implied, and she knew he expected her to answer. As intimidated as she felt, she refused to give in so easily.

"Until a few months ago, I thought this was nothing more than an impressive party trick," she said, keeping her voice steady and sure. "I'm still trying to figure it out, so forgive me if I don't have answers."

She'd promised Edward she'd tone down the sarcasm, but she couldn't help herself. It slipped out without thinking. And the longer Caius paused to respond, the more nervous and regretful she grew.

He turned his head to the side, just enough to acknowledge that he was addressing one of the men behind him near the door. "Can you read her?"

The man stepped forward, only slightly, but enough to set himself apart from the others. "No, not at all."

" _Who is this? What is his power?"_ she asked, frantic, the image accompanying her question.

" _I don't know, I've never seen him before. What's going on? What are they trying to do?"_ Hearing the worry in Edward's mental voice made her regret asking.

"How is this going to work if we can't tell whether she's lying?" Aro asked from his seat. He was restless, fidgeting, and unable to hide his irritation.

Caius regarded her a moment longer before turning and striding toward the door, his steps purposeful. "Let's discuss this elsewhere."

Marcus mumbled unintelligibly, leaving the room without looking back, as Aro moved to stand before her.

"You will stay here until we return or send someone for you," he said. "Do not try anything, young lady. Our patience is wearing thin."

As he stalked out, he instructed two men to stay behind to stand guard outside her door. Within moments, the door closed sealing her into the room, alone once again.

Dragging her feet the few steps to the couch, she collapsed in a heap, unable to hold herself up. Though it was clear that it was designed for style more than comfort, she didn't notice the lack of cushioning enough to mind.

" _Now what?"_ she asked after relaying as much back to Edward as she could remember. With the benefit of hindsight, she wished she'd have thought to include him as the confrontation was happening, but she knew that she didn't have enough experience with their connection to maintain an open feed while her attention was so otherwise occupied.

" _We're getting ready to land. It'll be a couple more hours before we can get there, so just hold tight. Alice doesn't see them coming back for you any time soon, so don't worry about that."_

She looked around the room, trying to figure out how to pass the time, knowing that if she thought too much that everything would come crashing down on her. _"Talk to me,"_ she begged. _"I need a distraction."_

So he did. For the next hour he shared random pointless stories to make her laugh and forget about the more serious situation going on all around her. Eventually, though, the topic began to shift back to what needed to be done. Too much depended on decisions that would have to be made in the moment, so it was impossible to fully prepare. But the first step was clear: get Bella out of that room.

" _Can you show me what the lock on your door looks like?"_ he asked.

Bella stood and walked over, examining the door and focusing on sharing the image with him. _"Like this?"_

" _Perfect,"_ he said, a hint of smugness in his voice. _"We assumed they'd use the same locks there, but it's good to have confirmation. Rosalie already checked them out in your other room and Emmett tracked down the brand and type. We thought I would have to describe how the mechanism inside works so that you could use your telekinesis to manipulate the parts, but I can just show you the diagrams now."_

He sounded so pleased with himself that she couldn't help but smile.

" _What do I need to do?"_ she asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot, eager to do something proactive to free herself.

" _We're just going to practice unlocking it. Don't actually open the door yet,"_ he instructed.

She rolled her eyes. _"You sure? I might be able to take these guys."_

" _Funny,"_ he said, laughing with her. _"We're getting close. It won't be much longer. But for now…"_

A roughly drawn sketch of the interior of the lock filled her mind as his words trailed off. With each step she completed, the sketch changed until less than a minute later, she heard a faint click. To her ears it was deafening, but she knew to anyone else it would've been nearly inaudible.

" _I think I did it."_

" _It worked?"_ he asked, awed.

" _I heard it… it's unlocked."_

" _Okay, try to lock it back up,"_ he said. _"We don't expect anyone to try the door, but I don't want to take any chances."_

Again, diagrams flashed through her mind to show her the reverse instructions. She tested the lock a few more times to make sure she had it before retreating to the bed to await further instructions.

She didn't have to wait long. Less than a half an hour later, she heard Edward announce, _"We're in."_

" _You're here?"_ She began to shake with a heady mix of relief, nervousness, and excitement.

" _We don't have long before they find us, but we're headed in different directions to slow them down. You need to get out of there before they send more men to guard you. Unlock the door. Right now, the guards out in the hall have no idea that you're ten seconds from breaking out of there. When you come out, you'll catch them by surprise. Do whatever you need to do to take advantage of that so you can run… knock them down, knock them out, I don't care. But you need to run. There's a dead end to your right so make sure you go left. Then you want the second hall on the right."_

This time, unlocking the door took a little longer due to the adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream. When it clicked she hesitated for a fraction of a second to gear herself up for a fight, and threw the door open. Just as Edward had said, the two men weren't expecting her and therefore didn't react right away. It was more than enough time to use her power to push them both backwards so that they fell to the ground, sliding back a few feet. Just before she turned to run, she mentally forced a large marble statue from its spot against the wall. She knew the men would be able to climb over it, but every opportunity to slow them down was worth it.

She bolted down the hall, hearing the men yell as they scrambled to find their footing in order to give chase. She pushed her legs as hard as she could, moving faster than she ever knew was possible, and skidded a couple feet across the floor as she hit the second hallway.

" _I made the turn, where do I go now?"_ she asked, picking up speed once again.

" _Left at the end,"_ he yelled.

Again, she drove forward with every ounce of strength she had in her. She kept waiting for someone to jump out at her, the lack of opposition in her path unnerving. When she turned again, her fear was realized. Her steps faltered as two men and one woman, none of whom she recognized, sped down the corridor in her direction. She hesitated for a moment until she heard voices of the guards she'd left behind catching up somewhere behind her. After a quick glance at her surroundings, she ran forward.

She could see the disbelief in the faces of the three speeding toward her, and at the last moment she hopped up onto the edge of a decorative chair that sat against the wall to her right. She jumped, remembering the night she practiced such a move in her room and how silly she'd felt at the time. She concentrated on adding extra distance and airtime but could tell it wasn't going to be enough. The angle she'd jumped at had sent her careening toward the opposite wall, and just before the three reached her, she pushed off once more. This sent her safely over their heads. They hadn't been expecting such a move and ended up tripping over themselves and each other, giving her a moment to balance herself after landing in a crouch when her feet hit the ground.

As she raced forward, she reached out to Edward. _"They're close. I don't know how long I can outrun them."_

" _Up ahead make a right and an immediate left. There's a heavy curtain, hide behind it. Alice can see it—she said they'll run right past thinking you're headed toward one of the main exits up there."_

" _Why can't I just go to the exit?"_ she asked.

" _It's heavily guarded from the outside right now. They think they're caging you in. When they run past, go back the way you came so that you can run to the end of the corridor you're in."_

She followed his instructions, finding the curtain and hiding behind it. It was thick and heavy, billowing out and covering part of a wall giving her ample coverage. She gasped for breath, thankful for the brief respite but afraid her panting would give her away. When she heard the heavy pounding of multiple pairs of feet, she tried to control her struggle for air.

When the last set of footsteps passed in the other hall, she waited a few moments before slipping out. After a peek around the corner to make sure the coast was clear, she retraced her path. Though nobody was following her this time, she still ran as fast as her legs would carry her. When she made it to the end, a figure rounded the corner causing her to scream to work its way up her throat. She held her hands out in front of her, instinctively using her power to keep the person at bay.

It took a moment before she realized who she was staring at. There, standing frozen and wide-eyed, was Edward. His body was pitched forward but unable to move due to her hold.

She gasped his name as she let go, catching him off-guard and causing him to stumble as he tried to regain his footing.

He smoothly shifted from unsteady to sure as he closed the distance to take hold of her, lifting her in the air. She threw her arms around his neck, holding so tightly that she wasn't sure whether he could breathe but deciding that until he complained, she wouldn't alter her grip.

Nonsensical combinations of promises, oaths, and apologies spilled from their lips as they gasped for air. She could feel his warm breath on her neck, finding comfort in the steady repetition of each exhalation.

He pulled back first, and she held on tighter.

"It's okay," he assured. "You're okay."

When she finally looked at him, his image was distorted. She hadn't realized she'd begun to cry.

His hands moving to the sides of her face, thumbs wiping away the tears, was all it took for the dam to break.

"You're here," was all she could say.

He pressed his lips to hers, mumbling against them, "I'm here."

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

“She went this way!”

The voice echoed off the walls and was paired with what sounded like a dozen feet slapping the floor.  Bella tried to hold her breath as they passed nearby, an impossible task since she’d yet to recover from her flight through the halls and couldn’t help but gasp for air.  Instead, she tried to time her breaths with Edward’s more controlled ones.  He’d led her to a dark alcove moments before, and though he was focused on those chasing them, his hand trailed up and down her back and his warm breath ghosted across her temple as he held her protectively let her know that he was still attuned to her as well.

“Just another minute so I can make sure they aren’t coming back this way,” he whispered into her ear.  

She remained silent, afraid that any sound would alert their pursuers of their presence.

As eager as she was to escape, and as much danger as she knew they were still in, being tucked away as they were gave her a sense of safety she hadn’t felt since she’d been abducted.  She wasn’t quite ready to leave their hiding place, to be vulnerable in the open again, and could feel herself begin to tremble when Edward tugged at her hand to lead her away.

They jogged down empty corridor after empty corridor, staying as quiet as possible.  Bella was afraid to speak, and briefly contemplated using their connection to ask Edward any of the dozens of questions filling her head.  Realizing he was listening to the thoughts of those in the vicinity to determine the safest route out, she left him alone, not wanting to risk distracting him.

“Where is everybody else?” she finally whispered once they’d stopped.  Their bodies were pressed against a wall, side by side as Edward looked around a corner.

He hesitated a moment before taking her hand again and pulling her into an empty room.  Once out of view, he held a finger to his lips, a clear signal to stay silent as he peeked through the tiny gap of the partially open door.  A full minute passed, feeling like an eternity given the circumstances, before she could hear voices yelling in the distance.  The words were indiscernible, but the agitation behind them was clear.

They were moving closer, and when she looked up at Edward to see if he was as concerned as she was, he looked smug.  She was sure he could read the confusion on her face, but he just winked at her, trying to fight a smile, the picture of mischief.

As the footsteps neared their hiding place, she took an instinctive step closer to Edward, accepting whatever security he could offer by holding her tightly to him.  His smile never wavered, though.

 _“Don’t worry,”_ he said, his voice loud and clear in her head.  _“They aren’t going to find us here.”_

Before she could question him, he led her back out into the hall, saying, “It’s clear.”

“How do you know—?” she started, wondering how he could be so sure they wouldn’t be discovered.

He looked over his shoulder at where she kept pace a half step behind him, and maintaining a firm grip on her hand, led her down the corridor quickly.  “Emmett disrupted their entire security system.  If I’m not mistaken, the feeds from all of their surveillance cameras have been replaced with episodes of _The Jersey Shore_.”

She barked a laugh before covering her mouth.  No wonder he seemed so self-satisfied earlier.

“So the others are okay?” she asked, returning to her earlier question.

“They’re fine,” he said.  “We all took off in different directions.  They wanted to try to lead as many of them away so I could find you.”

The idea that these people were willing to risk themselves to rescue her was overwhelming, filling her heart to bursting and she couldn’t wait to see them all again—to apologize, to thank them, to make sure they were all safe.

For now, though, she continued to follow Edward as they navigated their way through the halls, pausing to hide at times, or doubling back to find another route at others.

There were a few smaller exits that wouldn’t be as heavily guarded, he’d explained.  But it was a matter of dodging their pursuers and finding a safe path to one of them.  The longer they were on the run, the more agitated she could tell Edward was growing.  She was beginning to worry, herself.  It started to feel like they were running in circles, constantly having to turn around to try a different course before they could gain any substantial ground.

Edward skidded to a halt, seeming to debate between three different doors.  The sound of someone gaining on them forced his decision, and Bella followed when he pulled her through the closest one.

The room was immense and mostly empty.  She couldn’t tell what its purpose was exactly, but the ceiling was so high—easily spanning two to three floors worth of space—that every sound reverberated.  With only a handful of antique chairs and couches scattered along the walls and a raised platform at the far end, there was nowhere for them to hide.

“What is this?” she asked.

He didn’t answer right away.  Standing in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, his eyes scanned all around.

“It was on the copy of the blueprints that Emmett had,” he said.  “I know there’s an exit nearby, but I’m so turned around right now that have no idea which door it is.”

“One of these will lead us outside?” Bella asked, her heart pounding with excitement at how close they were to escaping as she took in all the doors surrounding them.

He shook his head.  “No, not directly.  There’s another hall… but there should be another door just across from one of these that we can leave through.”

“So, let’s just check them all,” she said.

He hesitated for a moment before telling her, “Wait right here.”  And when she looked like she was about to protest, he added, “Please.”

He implored her with his eyes, and she knew it was more for his peace of mind than it was about underestimating her.  She nodded, staying glued to her spot in the center of the room, watching as he hurried over to the first door.  He leaned his head as if listening before cracking the door open an inch, and when nothing happened he opened it more.  After a quick assessment, he shut the door, moving to the next. 

The routine was the same for doors two, three, and four.  At number five, Bella saw Edward’s body tense almost immediately upon opening it.  He pushed, trying to shut it, but something—or someone—was pushing back.

Just as she stepped forward, Edward spun around and yelled, “No! Stay away!”

He was struggling, and after a moment she unfroze, realizing she could still help from her spot in the center of the room.  With her hands held out in front of her, she used her power to help him push.  Just as they began to gain a little ground, the resistance built on the other side of the door.  She watched helplessly as Edward’s feet slid backwards across the marble floor and tried to center herself so she could focus.

She couldn’t tell how many voices were shouting from the hall or what they were saying, the adrenaline warping the details in her mind.  She only knew that however many there were, it was taking all of her mental and physical strength to keep them from opening that door.

And she was somehow managing to do just that until one of the other doors burst open and a dozen of the Volturi’s guards stormed in.  Some carried weapons, others seemed to be using gifts, as the assault on her shield was nearly unbearable.  Edward was knocked to the ground when the door he’d been holding was thrown open and more men strode in followed by Aro.

Before either of them could react, the space between them had been filled with a human wall intended to keep them apart.  She watched, helpless, as he was driven backwards, trying to fight but too outnumbered to make a difference.   A protest died in her throat when his back hit the wall with a heavy thud after one particularly violent shove.

But he didn’t seem to notice how hard he’d hit the stone wall—his eyes never left hers, wide and frantic with worry, his concern only for her.

She’d almost forgotten about Aro until he stepped into her line of vision, cutting off her view of Edward.  His eyes were narrowed into slits as he stood glaring at her.

“I’ve had just about enough of you,” he spat.

He reached out to take hold of her arm, and she countered with a swatting motion, her gift not allowing him to make contact.  Instead of ceasing his attempts as he had before, he stepped closer and reached with the other hand.  Again she mentally forced his hand away, this time the action combined with a step back to create distance.  She parried like this for a little while longer, retreating and protecting herself, until her back slammed into something… someone.  

Knowing the only person she trusted was still across the room, was enough of an incentive to find the resolve and tenacity she’d been missing.  They’d been so close to escape; Edward and the others had traveled halfway across the world to come to her rescue—she wasn’t about to back down now.

Her mind set, she smirked and took one decisive step toward Aro, envisioning the violent mental push that sent him flying backwards onto the ground in a heap.

His guards split—some surrounded her, raising weapons, while others knelt at his side to help him up.  She couldn’t see Edward, but she heard him call out.  As much as she wanted to go to him, knocking the men and a few women out of the way, she couldn’t risk tearing her attention away from Aro who finally stood on unsteady feet.  He was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling with rapid inhales, as the rage built.  

“You, young lady, are walking a very dangerous path.  You’re lucky I don’t give my men approval to end this now,” he threatened.  “You’re becoming more trouble than your talent is worth.”

“You leave her the fuck alone, you sick son of a—”

Edward’s words were cut short by the sound of his body once again hitting stone.  Bella flinched, still unable to see him.  She could hear him struggling, telling someone—or many someones—to let go of him. 

_“What can I do?”_ she pled.  _“Tell me how I can help you.  Please.”_

As soon as the words passed through her mind, some sort of natural instinct kicked in.  There was no logic behind how she knew, and her reaction was automatic—intuitive.  She vaguely recalled the others describing a similar feeling. It happened so fast she’d barely had time to process it, but the evidence was irrefutable.  At the sound of bodies being knocked into each other, some hitting the ground, the crowd around her shifted and moved, trying to see what had happened.  It put Edward back in her line of sight.  He was standing right where he had been, only this time a minimum of three feet of impenetrable space surrounded him.  As her eyes found his, she saw the same emotions that she knew were in hers: surprise, amazement, and relief.

Aro took a clumsy step, attracting Bella’s attention once more as his head whipped back and forth while he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

“Marcus…” he mumbled.

“I’m sorry, sir?” the closest guard responded, immediately flinching at the angry glare that Aro turned on him.

“Find Marcus,” he yelled, spit flying from his mouth.  “Get him in here. Now!”

The man hesitated only momentarily before turning and bolting out of the room.

“Now,” Aro said, turning back to look at Bella.  “I’m going to give you one last chance.  My men already have your friends in custody—”

 _“No he doesn’t,”_ Edward’s thoughts cut in.

“—so I’m going to give you the opportunity to earn their freedom.”

_“Play along… he has nothing.  Everyone’s fine, I can hear them.”_

“You do just one job for us, and you all walk away,” he said, inserting as much false sincerity into his voice as possible.  “You can go about your lives as you wish… if you aid us in this one little task.”

_“Jesus… this guy is more fucked up than I ever knew.”_

The shock and disgust in Edward’s mental voice was enough to cause a chill to run through Bella’s veins.  Trying to school her features, she asked, _“What does he want? What is he going to ask?”_

_“I can’t tell you… he can’t know that we can communicate like this yet.  If I tell you, you won’t be able to help yourself… you need to hold out for an honest reaction.”_

Aro paced back and forth in front of Bella, hands clasped behind his back.  She’d seen him like this before; it seemed to be his default position when going into storytelling mode.

“You’re a college student, correct?” he asked, continuing without waiting for an answer.  “How many history classes have you taken?”

“A-a few,” she stuttered, more from confusion than nerves.  She had no idea where he was going with this.

“Good, good,” he said, though it seemed like he was addressing himself.  “You see, we have the chance to change the course of history here.  It’s not an easy task, nor is it one that we are jumping into without a significant amount of thought first.  But certain things are inevitable, so what harm is there really in giving things a gentle nudge to assure that people like us remain secure?”

She had a feeling that he wasn’t talking about physical safety and security.

_“Christ, is this asshole actually monologuing?”_

She had to stifle a laugh at Edward’s thoughts.

 _“Keep him talking,”_ he added.  _“Make him explain… let him incriminate himself.”_

Taking a deep breath, she mustered up as much confidence as she could.  “And what is it you need me to do?”

“In a few months—the end of May to be precise—I need to you travel to Deauville, France.  The events taking place that weekend will require the highest security.  Fortunately for us, aside from the minor nuisance of creating a solid identity that will allow you to slip past the protections put into place, we need nothing but your talent to ensure that our plans go off without a hitch.  Now, I know we’ve yet to see your skills in action, but there’s plenty of time to make sure your technique is perfect before we send you in.”

“Send me in _where_?” she asked, her voice rising in irritation at how he continued to dance around what he was trying to say.

“Oh, just a little party… very exclusive guest list.  But don’t worry about a thing, dear.  We’ll take care of those details—we’re very well connected.”  He laughed a wicked little chuckle that made the hairs stand on the back of her neck.

“Stop avoiding my questions,” she grumbled, taking one step closer to him, standing tall with her shoulders back.

“In your history classes, do you happen to recall what precipitated the start of World War I?” he asked.

The rapid change in topic was bewildering.  “What does that have to do with anything?”

Aro stopped his movements, looking at Bella with a tilted head and impish smile.  “Oh, but it has everything to do with it.”

She racked her brain, trying to recall classes she hadn’t taken since her first semesters as an undergrad. 

“Assassination,” she whispered with horror that only continued to grow in relation to Aro’s grin.

“Such a smart girl.”  The condescension was nauseating.

 _“Are you okay?”_ Edward asked, his presence a small comfort.

 _“I think I’m going to be sick,”_ she answered.

_“You did so well… you got him to speak, to admit his plans.”_

_“Edward, what’s in France in May?”_ she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

There was a momentary hesitation before he answered.  _“G8 Summit.”_

Her stomach churned as she forced out the words, “How many?”

“I’m sorry?” Aro asked.

“How many?” she yelled.  “How many people do you expect me to murder for you?”

There was nothing he could say that would convince her to do his bidding, but she had to know.

He lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug.  “As many as you can take out in one shot.  I’d imagine that would be quite a few with a gift like yours that allows you to hide in plain sight.”

Her whole body trembled, on the verge of shutting down.  “You’re sick, you know that?  A soulless monster.”

His laugh was loud and malevolent, but cut short when the room was thrown into darkness.

“What in the hell is going on?” he screamed.  “Who cut the lights?”

_“Don’t move, Bella.  Stay right where you are.”_

She gave little yelps of fear and surprise as people jostled around her, occasionally bumping into her.  The lack of visibility left her disoriented, unable to keep herself from being collided with.  At the feeling of two hands gripping her biceps, she cried out.

“You’re okay.  It’s me… it’s just me.”

She threw herself toward Edward, wrapping her arms around his neck as tightly as she could for fear that they would be forced apart again.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?” she asked.

_“It’s just Emmett.  He cut the power and tampered with their backup generator.  It won’t be long before someone fixes it, but he bought us some time.”_

_“Can’t we make it out of here?”_ she asked.

_“No.  All the doors are blocked.”_

A hopeless dry sob escaped as she allowed Edward to try to console her.  She cringed when the lights began to flicker as she mourned the brief trip into anonymity that the darkness brought.

Of everything she had expected to see when the lights were restored, at the bottom of that list would’ve been her friends.  But there they were—Jasper and Alice just across the room by one of the doors, while Emmett and Rosalie stood a few feet away.

They’d slipped in undetected, and Bella couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t try to escape and call for help.  Her confusion only increased when Edward gave her a quick squeeze, offering a small smile when she looked up at him.  After he caught the other’s attention, Alice’s wink baffled her further.

It took another moment before any of the Volturi noticed their presence, but before they could react they started to stumble around as if drunk—the work of Jasper’s gift, no doubt.

The disorientation of the guards allowed the friends to gather in the center of the room, and again Bella had to wonder why they didn’t use this opportunity to flee.  She simply had to trust that they had a purpose.

When a set of doors at the front of the room opened with a groan, she tucked herself in closer to Edward’s side.  Five more people entered, bringing the total number of Volturi representatives to twenty.  Four of them were immediately identifiable as Marcus, Caius, Chelsea and Felix.  The fifth she recognized from the brief glimpse that had passed through her mind while sitting on a plane not long ago.  A short, petite girl with blonde hair that fell longer than the memory had shown.  Jane.

It was impossible to miss the way Edward’s body tensed as if preparing for an attack the moment Jane came into view.  And working on pure instinct, Bella shifted to stand in front of him, turning herself into a human shield.  Fortunately, nothing came.

Edward tried to tug her back but she stood her ground.  The two jockeyed for position, each determined to protect the other, so caught up they almost missed the short exchange between Marcus and Aro.  It was subtle; Marcus watched the two—wide-eyes full of awe—as he lightly brushed his fingers across Aro’s palm.

A split second later, Edward’s voice filtered through her mind.  _“They know.”_

 _“About us?”_   She had assumed from Aro’s reaction earlier that he’d figured it out, but knowing it was confirmed for him was frightening.  How would it affect the way he handled the situation?  Were they in for an even worse fight?

_“Yes.”_

_“All of it?”_

_“Aro’s assuming that what happened earlier—knocking those guards away from me—is the extent of it… that I can tap into your power or you can extend it to me… he hasn’t considered how we can use mine.”_

It was a relief—this secret remained theirs, something she knew was and would continue to be a valuable tool.

Aro’s face morphed into fury as he spun around to face Felix.  “I thought you said those two hated each other.  How did you allow this to slip past you?”

Felix looked like he was about to answer, but at the last moment he burst into laughter.  “Holy shit, you kids don’t waste any time, do you?  Guess that whole ‘thin line between love and hate’ isn’t just a cliché, huh?”

He bent forward, still laughing, angering Aro further.

“Jane!” he yelled and the girl smirked before taking a step forward.

Bella felt the pressure against her shield and in almost the same instant, Jane gasped and doubled over.  It took her a little while to catch her breath, but when she straightened back up, she was determined.  Bella could see her assessing things, working out her plan of attack.  When the girl’s gaze seemed to focus on a spot above her head she realized Jane was going to aim for Edward directly.

A painful cry caught in Edward’s throat, but it only took a millisecond for Bella’s instincts to kick in.  She knew she had succeeded when a piercing scream left Jane’s mouth, filling the room, and she fell to the ground, shaking.

Bella was trembling, the adrenaline and fear spiking in her veins as she watched the girl struggle to stand.  Gathering every ounce of strength, Jane was upright once more and as soon as her gaze flickered out to their friends, Edward yelled, “Get behind us!”

This time Jane screamed in frustration, stomping her foot like a spoiled child as Bella and Edward formed an impenetrable wall to protect the other four.  Emmett’s head poked out to the side, fist waving in the air as he taunted her.  “Bring it on, Goldilocks!”

Bella felt the assault, stronger than ever.  Jane’s body stiffened as she attempted to ignore the way her psionic blast was mirrored back to her.  The girl’s face turned red as tears poured down her cheeks.  She was unable to speak, only involuntary gurgles and gasps escaping.  In another context, Bella might’ve felt sorry for her.

But this was a girl who had betrayed her friends years before, who caused Edward’s entire personality to shift, and whose sins she’d been forced to pay for months.  No, there was no sympathy there.  This was just the start of what this girl deserved.

And when she collapsed on the floor after reaching her limit, shaking and mumbling incoherently, the only thought that crossed Bella’s mind was, _“Good.”_

There was no chance to rest once Jane’s assault ended.  Shouts filled the room, Aro’s above the rest, demanding his men take action.  Bella took an instinctive step back, leaving no room between her and Edward, and when she glanced over her shoulder she could see her friends packed in tightly together as well.  As the guards around them converged, she did her best to keep them from getting too close but her attention was being drawn in too many directions. 

Though it seemed to her that everybody was a threat, Edward directed her to the biggest, reading their thoughts to see who was most set on harming them so that she could focus the telekinesis half of her talent on them first.  She noticed that the ones she hadn’t thrown away from their immediate vicinity were vacillating between stumbling around in confusion and doubling over in laughter, clearly Jasper’s work.  His emotional manipulation distracted a large number of guards from their task, buying valuable time so that she could work.

While their talents weren’t as obvious to her in that moment, Bella knew the others must have been contributing in their own way.  She had no doubt that Alice was watching the future shift and change with every passing second, determining the best course of action.  From the corner of her eye she could see Emmett with some sort of little black device in his hand.  And even if she couldn’t think of where or why, she was certain that Rosalie was projecting somewhere.  

Because if this day had proven anything, it was that this group worked as a team.  None of them would stand around and wait for someone else to do all the work.

“Enough!” Aro’s voice called out, reverberating off of the walls to drown out all of the yelling and the cacophony of bodies hitting stone and other bodies.

The fighting ceased immediately—the Pavlovian response that the guards had toward Aro’s orders was almost chilling.  Bella found her breathing labored as if she’d run a marathon, even though her physical effort had been minimal.

“Weapons!” he yelled, and every man who’d found his footing raised a gun in the group’s direction.  Bella’s fear spiked even though their move seemed mostly defensive in this moment.

He strode forward until he faced the group.  Without a word, he reached out to Bella’s arm.  As with every time before, she mentally forced his hand away, but this time he smirked.  When she realized his actual intention, it was too late.  His other hand was already grasping Edward’s wrist.

The smug look on his face faded quickly.

“What’s the matter? Something wrong?” Edward asked, his tone teasing.

Bella squeaked in surprise when Aro’s hand clamped down on her own wrist.

“You… and you…” he stuttered, unable to form words after confirmation that Bella’s gift wasn’t limited to the physical.  That she wasn’t _just_ telekinetic.  The big secret of her psychokinesis was out—and it wasn’t just her own mind that was off limits.

He tripped backwards, rushing back to the front of the room where he began conferring with Caius and Marcus, no doubt sharing his discovery.

The silence in the room was unnerving.  No one spoke a word, but eyes darted around in restless uncertainty. The action earlier hadn’t give Bella time to think—or more specifically, to overthink.  This, however, gave her too much of an opportunity to consider the worst case scenarios that she could soon be facing.

Her attention was drawn to Caius who had angled himself away in a demonstration of manufactured privacy as he whispered to a wide-eyed Chelsea.   Bella watched as Chelsea locked eyes with her, but the way the woman shook her head was clear that she was responding to Caius.  Everything about her demeanor—trembling body, lips pressed tightly together, and attempts to deny Caius—made it clear that she was frightened and pleading with the man to reconsider.

He stepped back but his hard glare was fixed, giving Chelsea no recourse.

“It isn’t going to work,” Marcus said, his tone bored.

“Since when did you develop psychic powers?” Caius spat.

“The gift of second-sight is unnecessary when the answer is so clear.”

Aro stepped between the two men.  “Now, now.  We can continue this little spat later.  We can’t expect Chelsea to do her best if we don’t show absolute faith in her.   Go on,” he said, turning to Chelsea and gesturing toward Bella with one arm.

 _“The new plan is for Chelsea to break our bonds,”_ Edward said, his voice filtering into Bella’s mind while her eyes stayed glued to Chelsea.

She tensed as she felt the first waves of annoying nudges at her shield.  Chelsea was starting out slow.

 _“Can she do that?”_ Bella asked.  _“I mean, if you and I are—”_

_“Not us, me and you… us, the six of us.  They’re trying to tear the group apart.  Divide and conquer.”_

The news was upsetting, but Bella couldn’t afford to get distracted.

_“Marcus said it wouldn’t work?”_

Reading the implied question—Bella’s need to have her interpretation confirmed—Edward answered, _“He knows we’re all too close, too aware of the attempt to manipulate us so we’d try to fight it.  Not to mention the fact that nobody has been able to get past you.”_   He paused for a moment before adding, _“And Alice is watching.  I’ll guide you through what her vision says has to happen.”_

She immediately felt lighter knowing Alice was on top of things.  It felt like someone had handed her a cheat sheet, guaranteeing her a successfully completed job if she just followed along.  So she held her hands up in front of her, knowing the extra boost the action tended to give her powers would be useful.  It didn’t surprise her when Chelsea did the same—the two standing opposite each other as mirrored images.

The pressure from Chelsea’s attempt to fracture the bonds between her and her friends amped up, as did the look of discomfort that took over her face. 

_“Keep going,”_ Edward urged.

Bella began to push back, the action initiating a back-and-forth with Chelsea where each girl attempted to best the other in a supernatural tug-of-war.

“Don’t stop,” Caius yelled, his voice intimidating with how deep and commanding he sounded.

Chelsea whimpered but persisted.  Bella pushed harder, envisioning an invisible line that she couldn’t allow Chelsea to cross.  Edward’s hands rested on her shoulders, the support acting as incentive.  They moved slowly down her biceps, stopped at her elbows.  She pushed harder.  His hands moved again, caressing her forearms and sliding up the back of her hands.  Again, she pushed with more force, and Chelsea cringed and stumbled but her effort never ceased.

When his fingers threaded with hers, all of the support, adoration, and love transformed itself into the extra jolt of energy and power she needed to end this.  As she increased her force, she could feel Chelsea’s power begin to flicker.

_“Keep going.  Don’t stop. I don’t know what happened, but Chelsea is… stuck.  She’s trying to pull back but it’s like she’s locked in place.  You pushed her too hard… all of the bonds she created are starting to shatter.  Look around.”_

Bella hesitated a moment, afraid of diverting her attention and losing her focus too soon, but when she glanced to the side it only took a split second to see lowered weapons and relaxed stances.

“What’s happening?  Stop! Stop this instant!”

She wasn’t sure who was yelling, but knew it had to be either Aro or Caius.  Maybe both.  

_“Help is on the way.  Rosalie is guiding them in.  Just a few more minutes, Bella.”_

The words bolstered her confidence, and she shifted to stand a little straighter.   Three things happened at once:  the pressure on Bella’s shield ceased, Chelsea fell into a sobbing heap on the floor, and every door swung open as the authorities stormed the room.

Bella stumbled, exhaustion and exhilaration at war with each other.  She fell into Edward’s arms, sure that he was the only reason she was still upright with how tightly he was holding onto her in that moment.  She buried her head in his chest, listening to his heart race as he whispered quiet words that she couldn’t understand.  There was too much noise as the authorities took the Volturi into custody.

They were led out of the building, though she couldn’t remember most of the trip.  As soon as they hit the bottom of the steps, she was pulled into another hug—this time from Alice.

“We were so worried,” she cried before lowering her voice.  “He was a wreck.”

“I’m sorry,” Bella said, sniffling.

“No, don’t… I’m just glad you’re safe.  That’s the most important thing.  But do you have any idea what you’ve done?  You took them down, Bella.  You took the Volturi down.”

Bella barked out a watery laugh.  “ _We_ did.” 

Conversation continued as Bella was pulled from one hug to another.   When she finally made her way back to Edward, he took a few steps away from the group to give them a small amount of privacy.  

“Are you okay?” he asked, one arm around her waist and the other hand threading through her hair.

She looked over at the other four, laughing and talking animatedly, and smiled.  “Yeah.  I don’t think any of it has sunk in yet.  It’s all still a little surreal.”

“You’ll tell me if it gets to be too much?”

She nodded and curled into his side, watching the others for a few seconds more before looking up at him.   She reached up, running her fingertips over the dark circles under his eyes.

“Are _you_ okay?”

“I am now.”

They eventually joined the group, and although they were reliving some of the more exciting points, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement to avoid heavy topics.  There’d be plenty of time for that later.

Later came too quickly when Edward and Jasper were pulled away from the group, their talents needed to help the authorities determine who had been working for the Volturi of their own accord and who had been manipulated into servitude.

She wasn’t sure how the detectives knew about the powers, but Edward’s whispered “later” as he walked away told her there was a lot she still didn’t know.

From what Bella could tell, there were a number of police forces working together.  A handful of the officers stayed behind to ask a few questions, but most of the inquiry was saved for an official statement.

Rosalie and Emmett left a little while later for a bed and breakfast in the small village where he’d secured rooms for everybody.  When Jasper reappeared hours later, he and Alice followed, but not until after much insistence on Bella’s part that they didn’t need to wait for her.

As the sun began to set, Bella sat on the low wall that overlooked the Italian countryside—the same one she’d admired while being led into her new prison.  The peaceful view contrasted beautifully with the chaos behind her as men and a few women were dragged out and taken into custody.  One of the officers had given her a scratchy, dark gray blanket that she wrapped snugly around her as she swung one foot on the other side of the wall.

“You’re still here,” Edward said, his voice quiet as though not wanting to disrupt her moment.

She smiled as he sat behind her and leaned back into him.

“You know, I always dreamed of one day seeing Italy,” she said.

“You sure know how to pick the worst way to get a free trip,” he said, sarcastic and teasing.

She laughed, knowing it was probably inappropriate for them to joke but realizing how much easier it made the situation.

“Do you want to stay a while?” he asked.  “Actually see a little of the country?”

“I think I just want to go home.”

“Oh.”  There was disappointment in his tone so she turned to look at him over her shoulder, the action enough for him to elaborate.  “They want me to stay a little longer.  They asked if I could hide out in another room while they interrogate.  Today we were just sort of figuring out who they needed to focus on and who wasn’t as important.”

“How long?” she asked.

He shrugged.  “They said maybe couple weeks… then they can take it from there on their own.”

She reached for one of his hands where it rested at her side, threading her fingers with his.  “I want to stay too.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I’m staying,” she answered, firm.

He chuckled.  “Okay then.”

Silence filled the space around them before a thought popped into Bella’s head.

“Wait, what happened to not being able to involve the authorities?” she asked.

He laughed.  “Turns out your dad is pretty well connected, and apparently we’ve all been oblivious idiots.”

“Wait, Charlie knew?” she asked, surprised.  “How did he even get involved?”

“You called him, Bella.  When they abducted you.  We found your phone on the sidewalk and got in touch with him.  He was a mess.”

She had forgotten about that, and the guilt for putting her dad through that was overwhelming.  “Is he okay?”

“He’s worried about you, but he’s fine.  You should call him soon.”

“I will.  But what is this about his connections?”

He pulled his hand away from hers, but only to wrap his arms around her shoulders from behind.  With his chin on her shoulder, he spoke.  “Once he got to Seattle and we told him the story, he started making some phone calls.  He was discreet, but turns out he knows someone who knows someone… they’ve kept it all under wraps like we have, but there’s an entire network of police forces who know about people like us, our powers, and have been gathering information on the Volturi, building a case that can be presented publicly.  They almost had enough, but your kidnapping and all the information we gathered today… it pushed things over the top.  They have enough to move on them now.”

“Aro’s confession,” she whispered, remembering how Edward urged her to keep the man talking until he admitted his plan to eliminate a number of world leaders. 

“Aro’s confession,” he confirmed.  “You know how I told you that Emmett disrupted the security feed?  Well, all of that was still recorded, _and_ it was simultaneously being fed back to the authorities… the man was planning multiple assassinations.  He won’t walk free… ever.”

“So it’s really over?” she asked.

“There will be a trial of course, but yes.  It’s over.”

There was a small shuffling, and both turned their heads to see Felix being taken out in cuffs.  He shrugged, as nonchalant as ever, as if saying, “What can you do?”

When the police car pulled away, the two turned back to the view and watched the way the setting sun changed the colors of the landscape.

“I’ve never been so scared,” he confessed and she felt her eyes start to water.  She turned around to face him, both straddling the wall as she moved in as close as she could.  His hands went to the sides of her face, and he slowly lowered his forehead to hers.  “I know we have so much to talk about, especially what happened that day…”

“Can we forget about that for right now?  For just a little while longer?” she asked as she ran her hands up and down his thighs.  She wasn’t ready to revisit the events that had altered their course so drastically.

He nodded.  “But I have to at least… I’ve wanted to say for so long…”

She stared into his eyes, trying to understand.  “What?”

“I mean, I know it’s pretty obvious without the words but… I love you.”  Her heart stuttered in her chest.  He was right, hearing the words was so much better.  “After the way I treated you, the way I _justified_ treating you, I have no right to be here… with you… God, I love you.”

She shivered at the feel of his lips when they met hers, the kiss slow and reverent.  He broke away, ready to place another kiss on her mouth, but she took the opportunity to whisper, “I love you too.”

His breath shook in a relieved laugh, closing the distance to kiss her again.   His arms wrapped around, tugging her closer, but never letting his lips part from hers.  

As his tongue slid against hers, her mind was filled with his voice.  _“I love you, I love you, I love you…”_

By the time they surfaced from their cocoon, night had fallen.  Hand in hand they traversed the cobblestone streets, choosing to ignore their role in the drama back at the castle.  For tonight they would just be a young couple in love, visiting a faraway city, ready to start their lives together.


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The change was small but meaningful.  Bella ducked her head to see below the visor, squinting against the setting sun.

“This is _so_ weird,” she said.

Edward chuckled from the driver’s seat where he leaned forward against the steering wheel.

“I haven’t seen it like this since we bought it.”

The car was idled at the front gate of the house.  Well, what used to be the front gate.  One half had already been taken down while the other was pushed open.  The scanner just outside the driver’s window had already been deactivated and was in the process of being disassembled.

After one long, lingering glance at each other followed by matching smiles, Edward put the car into drive.

Their two weeks in Italy extended into an additional month in The Hague where authorities were in the process of expediting the Volturi case for trial before the International Criminal Court.  Edward’s gift proved too valuable to use it only during initial questioning.  Even though his translation of peoples’ thoughts wouldn’t be admissible in court, the information allowed interrogators to craft the right questions in just the right way to get the answers—or evasions—they needed to prove their case.

Of course, nobody they’d taken into custody knew that he’d followed them to the Netherlands so they didn’t bother trying to filter their thoughts.

And judging by the sight that greeted them at the house’s main entrance, it seemed their friends stayed busy in their absence.

“Ready for this?”

Bella nodded, but wasn’t too sure.  The sight of Charlie’s cruiser parked in front was a bit of a surprise, something she wasn’t prepared for.

She heard Edward open his door, so she followed suit but didn’t move until he stood beside her.  He tugged on her hand and when her head snapped over to look at him, he raised an eyebrow—a silent question.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

No surprise to either of them, Alice swung the door open just as they reached it, pulling both into a hug.  By the time she let go, their friends, Carlisle, and Esme had gathered so Bella reluctantly let go of Edward’s hand so that she could greet them all.

Standing off in the background she noticed Charlie shuffling awkwardly.  He wasn’t an openly affectionate man, but she could tell in that moment he was battling with the part of him that wished he was.  Instead of prolonging his indecision, she took the initiative and closed the distance, wrapping her arms around him. 

“Dad,” she sobbed.

It took him a moment, but once he tightened his grip, he was in no hurry to let go.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done—” His words cut off, strangled in his throat, not wanting to give voice to what might’ve happened if things had gone another way.

She’d talked to him on the phone many times while she was gone, and they’d discussed everything.  Once he realized she was safe, he was angry with her for never telling him about her gift and the subsequent danger it put her in.  She understood, but when she asked him to honestly think about what his response would have been, he reluctantly admitted he wouldn’t have believed her.  And if she’d tried to demonstrate, he had no idea what his reaction would’ve been. 

He’d confessed, with much embarrassment, that he hadn’t handled the information all that well when her friends had explained the truth behind what had happened.  It took a long talk with Carlisle and Esme before he began to open his mind to the possibility.

During their phone calls, he told Bella about how he’d had a lot of time to think about things while the rescue operation was planned and executed.  He recalled memories and a number of stories about his great-grandmother.  Magic, he’d always thought.  Not of the supernatural variety, but simple sleight of hand.  He’d seen her move small objects, always with animated flair, but was too young to question it.  His adult mind assumed there was some trick to it.  And the stories that had carried down in his family, those must’ve been embellished over time. 

This family connection, no matter how far removed, delighted Bella.  It made her feel a little less like an oddity and more like this gift was a legacy.

“Don’t do that to me again,” Charlie said.  “I’m an old man, I can’t take it.”

Bella laughed.  “Don’t worry.  I’ve had too much excitement for one lifetime.  I plan to be as boring as possible for as long as possible.”

When they let go of each other soon after, she couldn’t help but smile at the way Charlie shook Edward’s hand, thanking him for bringing her home, and immediately got over his inability to show affection by giving Edward a one armed man-hug.

Esme came up beside her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and pulling her into her side.  The two shared a look and a smile.

“So what’s the big news?”  Emmett asked, rubbing his hands together.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, rubbing his back.  “He’s been dying over here.  Alice wouldn’t even give him a hint of what she saw.  Please—for the sake of _my_ sanity—spill.”

Everyone laughed while Bella and Edward traded shrugs and gestures, giving the other the opportunity to speak.  Finally, Edward said, “Felix spilled everything.  Told the authorities everything he knew, which was a hell of a lot considering how closely involved he was with everything.”

A moment of stunned silence passed before Jasper asked, “What happened?”

The group knew that quite a few people had already been cooperative, detailing as much as they could having no loyalty left after Chelsea’s ties had been broken.  It was something that Edward had been heavily involved in—determining who had truly been influenced and who had only claimed to be in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence.  But last they’d all heard, Felix remained dedicated and therefore refused to speak.

“You know how his dad’s in prison, right?” Edward said.  “A few days ago the investigators walked in with a folder full of documents showing that he’d been set up.  He was still guilty of course, but his arrest came from an anonymous tip.   The ROS division of the Carabinieri that focuses on organized crime in Italy was closing in on the Volturi, so to divert attention…”  His words trailed off with a wave of his hand that told the others to fill in the pieces.

“No shit?” Emmett said, shaking his head.

“He didn’t believe them at first,” Bella added, having had the opportunity to eavesdrop on things through her connection to Edward’s mind.  “Took him a long time to believe it, but once it sunk in he was out for blood.  As soon as they offered him a deal he spent hours confirming things that the cops had found, that we had found, and added so much more that _no one_ knew about.”

“This is the guy that followed you around? Kidnapped you?”  Charlie’s voice was gruff, indignant.

Bella nodded.

“What was the deal?” he asked.

“I’m sorry?” Bella asked.

“The deal.  You said they cut him a deal.  How much time is he going to do?”

“Two years.” This time it was Edward who answered, sounding just as incensed as Charlie. 

“Two—” Charlie started then stopped himself, breathing heavily through his nose and shaking his head in disapproval.

“So I hear there was a job offer for all of you,” Esme said, blurting the words out a little too loudly. 

Bella shot her a grateful smile for the change of subject.  “Yeah, they asked us all to come aboard to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Edward wrapped his arms around Bella from behind, resting his chin on her head.  “We told them we’d think about it, but haven’t had a chance to discuss it.  The offer’s open to all of us,” he said, glancing at the four friends standing across from them.

“Yeah, so the government can take over where the Volturi left off?” Rosalie scoffed.

“Actually, this is pretty classified—like, Area 51 level stuff.   There are only a few dozen people in the world that know and they plan on keeping it that way.  As useful as people like us would be the risk is too high.   They want to make sure it stays as much of a secret as it’s always been.  The guys that talked to us, they all seemed pretty sincere… I couldn’t get anything from their thoughts that led me to believe they might be lying.”

“Maybe we should go talk to them… let me see what I pick up?” Jasper  said.

Bella laughed.  “That’s exactly what we were thinking.”

“No rush, though,” Edward added.  “They aren’t expecting us to make any big decisions anytime soon.”

Bella felt Edward tighten his hold and kiss the top of her head as the others discusses pros and cons with parents weighing in from time to time.

Later that evening after everyone had been caught up and dinner eaten and cleared away, the group found themselves in the living room setting up the Trivial Pursuit board.  Watching from her spot on the couch, Bella smiled, remembering that night so many months ago when she struggled with learning who she was and feeling like an outsider.  So much had changed, and yet by the way Edward, Alice, and Emmett were bantering, so much hadn’t.

“You playing?” Emmett asked, wiggling his eyebrows in a playful dare.

Bella laughed and shook her head.  “Nope, you guys are ruthless.”

“No cheating,” Emmett said, leveling a glare on Alice then Edward.

Edward chuckled.  “We go through this every single time.”  When he spoke again, he enunciated every word.  “Cheating makes it fair.”

“I at least have to try to get the advantage,” Emmett said with an unapologetic shrug as he popped a potato chip into his mouth and crunched.

“Is it always like this?” Charlie leaned over and whispered.

Bella grinned and looked over at him.  “Pretty much.”

“This is nothing,” Carlisle interrupted.  “You should see them play poker.”

The game progressed exactly as it had before with Emmett flashing on answers, Alice looking to the future to see what correct answer was given, and Edward reading everyone’s minds as guesses passed through thoughts.

Emmett was getting close to earning all of his pieces when Edward began to plead with her.  _“Come on, help me out here.”_

 _“Cheater,”_ she admonished.

 _“Please?”_   Even his mental voice was whiny.

She wasn’t going to give in until Emmett landed—and subsequently earned—the final piece.  He stood up, raising his arms in the air before pointing at Edward then Alice.  “See?  You don’t want to mess with me.  _You_ will go down.  And you.  And anyone else who thinks they can take me on.”

The matching scowls on Alice and Edward’s faces had everyone laughing.

When Emmett’s next turn came, the die wobbled before landing with a three face up.

“Shit,” he grumbled.

The next time, he rolled a one.

“Sonofabitch.”

Then a two.

“What the hell?  I’m never going to make it to the center at this rate!”

Meanwhile both Alice and Edward were catching up.  Edward managed to earn all of the pieces of his pie while Alice still had one left.

Edward rolled sixes with Bella’s help while Emmett continued to trudge along one and two spaces at a time.

“Oh you mother—”

“Emmett!” Rosalie yelled while everyone else in the room burst into laughter.

“But look how close I am!  I could’ve sworn that was going to land on four! I should’ve won by now!”

If he had been a cartoon character, Bella was sure she would’ve seen a light bulb click on above his head.

“You!” he yelled, pointing at her and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t hold back the laughter.  “It was you! You’re messing with the game!”

The room fell into hysterics while Bella shrugged.

“Sorry?”

Just then, Edward rolled and to nobody’s surprise the five he landed on won him the game.   Emmett’s shoulders slumped and he looked up at Bella.  “I don’t know if I should be pissed at you for screwing up my game or proud of you for being so devious.”

Jasper snorted.  “He actually _is_ torn!”

“I’m proud of you for being so devious,” Edward said after scooting back to lean against Bella’s legs.

“You’re just happy you won,” she said, running her fingers through his hair.

Rosalie sat down next to Emmett, comforting him in such a way that could only be described as condescending.  “Poor baby,” she cooed, rubbing his back.

“What good is it to be a genius with these two over here teaming up?”

“Better get used to it,” Edward said as he leaned his head back to give Bella more access.

She noticed Charlie shift a little closer.  Under his breath he asked, “I guess you won’t be moving back into that apartment, huh?”

She looked at Edward who was watching her upside down, a small peaceful smile playing across his lips.

“Nope, I’m pretty happy here.”

 

 

 


End file.
